Respiratory compromise needs a useful definition

The new buzz phrase making the rounds in the respiratory therapy community is “respiratory compromise” (RC). This push to promote RC awareness seems to stem from a conference organized by the National Association for the Medical Direction of Respiratory Care (NAMDRC). There is now a Respiratory Compromise Institute, and the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists is on board, offering an online toolkit for practitioners to access a wealth of information. There is no dispute that there exists a period of time preceding respiratory failure in which timely intervention may prevent disease progression. However, this time period is difficult to quantify and, unfortunately, the definition of RC initially put forth by its architects is far too wide and vague to be of any clinical or research value. This presents a unique opportunity for interested clinicians and researchers to develop a pragmatic case definition that is evidence based