| Indications for postoperative mechanical ventilation are respiratory acidosis, severe hypoxemia, atelectasis, and pneumonia. |
| Progressive pulmonary fibrosis occurs in 10 percent of patients and, along with myositis of the respiratory muscles, may lead to hypoxemia. |
| As hypoxemia supervenes, the patient becomes comatose and death may result from ventricular fibrillation or asystole. |
| Respiratory function tests generally show a persistent slight-to-moderate hypoxemia and a reduction of carbon monoxide diffusion. |
| Arterial hypoxemia, a frequent complication of lung disease, can lead to pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale. |
| None of the animals developed hypoxemia, hemoptysis, bronchospasm, or respiratory distress either during or after treatment. |
