The Place of a Respiratory Failure Unit

¹ Associate, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto and Physician, Toronto General Hospital

The importance of a respiratory failure unit is that it provides physical facilities, establishes routines of therapy and monitoring and constant specialized experience both for the medical and nursing staff. The handling of a patient in respiratory failure has its complexities and is not a simple intensive care problem. However, there is no reason why a respiratory failure unit should not be associated with a general intensive care area. We believe that a special respiratory failure unit results in more efficient treatment and more satisfactory results in the survival of these seriously ill patients.