Hypercapnia

Brief overview What is hypercapnia? Accumulation of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood. It can occur acutely or develop slowly. Causes: e.g. insufficient ventilation of the lungs (for example in COPD and other lung diseases), increased CO2 production in the body (for example in hyperthyroidism), metabolic alkalosis (for example as a result of potassium deficiency), … What is hypercapnia?