Respiratory Failure Calculator

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A modern web application for calculating respiratory failure based on arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis, designed to assist healthcare professionals in rapid diagnosis and classification of respiratory disorders.

I wrote this as a medical student at University of Massachusetts Medical School to help clinicians quickly interpret ABGs and identify respiratory failure patterns.

What is Respiratory Failure?

Respiratory failure is a serious condition where the respiratory system fails in one or both of its gas exchange functions: oxygenation and carbon dioxide elimination. It is classified into two main types:

• Type 1 (Hypoxemic): PaO2 < 60 mmHg with normal or low PaCO2
• Type 2 (Hypercapnic): PaCO2 > 45 mmHg with or without hypoxemia

Additional classifications include:

• Acute vs. Chronic
• Compensated vs. Uncompensated
• Mixed Respiratory-Metabolic Disorders

Why is this Important?

Accurate interpretation of blood gases is crucial because:

• It guides immediate therapeutic interventions
• Helps distinguish between various causes of respiratory failure
• Identifies acid-base disturbances
• Monitors response to treatment
• Assists in ventilator management decisions

Features

• Real-time ABG Analysis: Instantly determine respiratory failure type
• Detailed Parameter Breakdown:
  • pH and acid-base status
  • PaCO2 and ventilation assessment
  • PaO2 and oxygenation status
  • Bicarbonate and metabolic component
• Calculation History: Track and review previous analyses
• User-friendly Interface: Clean, intuitive design for rapid data entry
• Mobile Responsive: Use on any device at the bedside
• Data Persistence: Secure storage of calculations using Neon
• Health Data Interoperability: Export results in FHIR format
  • FHIR: Export as FHIR R4 Observation resources (JSON)

Tech Stack

• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3
• Backend: Node.js with Express
• Database: Neon (Serverless PostgreSQL)
• Architecture: Clean Architecture with Domain-Driven Design
• Deployment: Vercel for serverless deployment
• Healthcare Standards: FHIR R4, HL7 v2.5.1

Clinical Applications

The Respiratory Failure Calculator assists in:

Acute Care Settings

• Emergency department triage
• ICU patient monitoring
• Rapid response team assessments
• Ventilator management

Chronic Care Management

• Outpatient COPD monitoring
• Sleep disorder evaluation
• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• Long-term oxygen therapy assessment

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.