Evidence that noninvasive intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (NiIPPV) improves exercise capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is limited. The effectiveness of different ventilators in this setting has not been studied. Three bilevel pressure support ventilators (Bipap S/T 30, Nippy2 and Vpap II ST), applied via a mouthpiece, were compared during submaximal treadmill e...

During the 1990s, noninvasive ventilation moved from being almost unknown outside a few specialist centres to becoming a cornerstone in the management of patients with respiratory failure. As with many advances in medicine, the basic idea is not new. Indeed, the technique is almost as old as mankind itself. In Genesis, Chapter 2, verse 7 it is stated that "the Lord God formed the man from the d...