[Intensive care of respiratory insufficiency and hypoxia]

Analysis of the results of studies carried out in 1200 patients aged 1 day to 75 years hospitalized at reanimation and intensive care wards for critical and terminal states of different origin showed that respiratory insufficiency and hypoxia play the main role in the pathogenesis of critical states and cause generalized disturbances of metabolism which lead to disorders in the work of vital organs and systems. The major part in metabolic disorders is played by changes in free-radical lipid peroxidation and in the system of antioxidant defense. An original program of "metabolic reanimation" is proposed for correction of the disordered metabolic processes and their aftereffects caused by hypoxia.