Enhancement of hypoxemia by right-to-left atrial shunting in severe asthma
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R Robert1, J Ferrandis, F Malin
1Service de Réanimation Médicale, Hôpital Jean Bernard, Poitiers, France.
Intensive Care Medicine
|November 1, 1994
Abstract:
We report two cases of severe hypoxemia due to right-to-left shunt in acute asthmatic patients. During acute asthma, the transmural right atrial pressure can be higher than left atrial pressure during inspiration and then induce a right-to-left shunt through inter-atrial communication leading to hypoxemia. Contrast echography as well as Doppler analysis can easily confirm the diagnosis.