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respiratory failure

British  

noun

  1. a condition in which the respiratory system is unable to provide an adequate supply of oxygen or to remove carbon dioxide efficiently

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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In one instance, it referred a case of impending respiratory failure to overnight evaluation instead of an ER.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Sarah McCubbin, 53, from Amesbury in Wiltshire, has asthma and suffered a type 2 respiratory failure, which causes dangerously low blood oxygen levels, three years ago.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

At Mount SAC, for instance, classrooms have high-tech mannequins that can be programmed to blink, shriek and simulate a variety of medical conditions, including heart attacks, bleeding, respiratory failure — even giving birth.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2025

Marilyn Bergman died in January 2022 of respiratory failure at 93.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025

She died at once from respiratory failure, in spite of restorative measures.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898 by Various

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