Critically ill patient with respiratory disease

This may be due to a deterioration or exacerbation of an existing condition, a first presentation of a previously undiagnosed disease, or with respiratory involvement of a systemic disease. As with any critically ill patient, standard management is required initially to stabilize, with the focus then moving to diagnosis and treatment. Depending on the presence of any pre-existing respiratory disease and the nature and severity of this, it may be important to determine disease-specific treatment and/or treatment limitations (‘ceilings of care’).