Acute Respiratory Failure Associated with Hypophosphatemia

Abstract

Hypophosphatemia is now recognized with increasing frequency as a cause of several systemic disorders.^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7} Routine use of multichannel blood analysis has disclosed this condition in as many as 10 per cent of certain hospital populations.^{8 , 9} In addition, therapeutic advances of the last several decades have created iatrogenic causes of hypophosphatemia.^{1 , 2 , 10 , 11} These iatrogenic hypophosphatemias, often profound, have provided the impetus for understanding the multisystem effects of this disorder.^{2 3 4 5 , 7 , 12} In the two patients described below, ventilatory failure was responsive to inorganic phosphate.Case ReportsCase 1. A 58-year-old alcoholic woman with known chronic obstructive lung disease was admitted to the Neurology Service . . .