Symptoms of nocturnal hypoventilation may negatively influence the quality of life (QoL) of ALS patients long before respiratory failure ensues. Non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) is considered a treatment option for nocturnal hypoventilation. The primary objective of NIV is improving quality of life (QoL). It may also prolong life by several months. A systematic review of the literature...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Its possible association with obstructive sleep apnea is a major cause of concern for clinicians. As the prevalence of both COPD and sleep apnea continues to rise, further investigation of this interaction is needed. In addition, COPD patients are at risk for hypoventilation during sleep due to ...

Obesity, well known as a cardiovascular risk factor, can also lead to significant respiratory complications. The respiratory changes associated with obesity extend from a simple change in respiratory function, with no effect on gas exchange, to the more serious condition of hypercapnic respiratory failure, characteristic of obesity hypoventilation syndrome. More recently, it has been reported t...

Bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract infection among infants and young children [1]. Nowadays oxygenation and clinical assessment are used to decide on hospitalization. Jacob et al. recently explored the role of capnography upon arrival to the Emergency Department and concluded that endtidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) does not predict neither hospital admission nor discharge eli...

OBJECTIVES Under a constant inspired concentration, the uptake of a volatile anesthetic into the arterial blood should mainly be governed by alveolar ventilation, according to the assumption that the patient's cardiac output remains stable during anesthesia. We investigated whether ventilation volume affects the rate of desflurane uptake by examining arterial blood concentrations. METHOD Thir...

We investigated the effects of hyper- and hypoventilation on gastric (Pg(CO(2))) and sublingual (Psl(CO(2))) tissue PCO(2) before, during, and after reversal of hemorrhagic shock. Pg(CO(2)) was measured with ion-sensitive field-effect transistor sensor and Psl(CO(2)) with a CO(2) microelectrode. Under physiological conditions and during hemorrhagic shock, decreases in arterial (Pa(CO(2))) and e...

This study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of nasal mask (NM) versus full face mask (FFM) for the delivery of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in subjects with nocturnal hypoventilation. A total of 16 patients (11 males) were enrolled, all with nocturnal hypoventilation currently treated at home with NIV via pressure preset devices. Subjects underwent full polysomnography on three occasio...