Pickwickian syndrome is named after a character in Charles Dickens' book, "The Pickwick Papers". This character was obese and had a tendency to fall asleep during the day.
Pickwickian syndrome has become a term used to describe individuals who are obese, have some degree of respiratory failure during the day and suffer from cor pulmonale. There is a reliance on hypoxic drive for ventilation rather than hypercapnia.
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