| Adults with cystic fibrosis are susceptible to hypoxemia, hypercapnia, arousal from sleep, and neurobehavioral impairment. |
| As hypoxemia supervenes, the patient becomes comatose and death may result from ventricular fibrillation or asystole. |
| During a relapse, respiratory muscle weakness can precipitate hypoxemia and hypercapnia of rapid onset. |
| Correcting a functional abnormality, such as hypoxemia with oxygen therapy, can preserve life while the lung undergoes healing. |
| Arterial hypoxemia, a frequent complication of lung disease, can lead to pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale. |
| Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome are clinical syndromes that are characterized by extreme hypoxemia and high mortality. |
