Acute respiratory failure in active tuberculosis

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Abstract
We describe 15 patients whose acute respiratory failure associated with pulmonary tuberculosis necessitated their ICU admission during a 42-month period. There was a 1.5% incidence of respiratory failure in hospitalized tuberculosis patients. Eleven of the 15 patients required ventilatory assistance for a mean 17.3 days. Five patients died in ICU (early mortality = 33%), and two others died within 3 months of discharge (total mortality = 47%). We began specific anti-tuberculous chemotherapy in these patients within 3 ± 4 (SD) days after hospital admission. Pulmonary histology was available in five cases. Despite the clinical and radio-logic features compatible with the adult respiratory distress syndrome in these patients, histology showed confluent tuberculous bronchopneumonia with no evidence of the syndrome.

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