Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in geriatric critical care

COPD is a progressive disorder that is punctuated in its later stages with acute exacerbations that present a risk for respiratory failure. COPD has a disproportionate impact on older patients. In the ICU, therapy is directed toward unloading fatigued respiratory muscles, treating airway infection, and prescribing bronchodilatory drugs. Most patients survive hospitalization in the ICU for an episode of respiratory failure. The severity of the underlying lung disease, however, underlies the poor outcomes of patients in terms of postdischarge survival and quality of life.