This review, based on relevant published evidence and the authors’ clinical experience, presents how to evaluate a patient with acute respiratory failure requiring ventilatory support. This patient must be carefully evaluated by nurses, physiotherapists, respiratory care practitioners and physicians regarding the elucidation of the cause of the acute episode of respiratory failure by means of p...

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation is an alternative to intubation in critically ill patients with respiratory insufficiency or poor gas exchange who may require flexible bronchoscopy for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. This ventilatory technique might help decrease the risk of bronchoscopy-related complications in patients with refractory hypoxemia, postoperative respiratory distres...

The use of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) as a means of ventilatory support has been around for as long as the profession of respiratory care. In fact, for a substantial part of my career, noninvasive positive-pressure treatments were the primary therapeutic activity provided by respiratory therapists. In the mid-1960s many of the first patients I mechanically ventilated were ...

background: nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (nippv) is a non-invasive ventilatory mode, which delivers mechanical ventilation via nasal tubes or prongs. the present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of nippv and nasal continuous positive airway pressure ventilation (ncpap) in reducing the need for intubation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (rds)....

OBJECTIVE To verify the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation compared to conventional physiotherapy or oxygen therapy in the mortality rate and prevention of pulmonary complications in patients during the immediate postoperative period of cardiac surgery. METHODS Systematic review and meta-analysis recorded in the International Prospective Register of Ongoing Systematic Reviews (number CR...

Asthma is characterised by reversible airway obstruction. In most patients, control of disease activity is easily achieved. However, in a small minority, asthma may be fatal. Between the two extremes lie patients with severe asthmatic attacks, refractory to standard treatment. These patients are at an increased risk of recurrent severe attacks, with respiratory failure, and mechanical ventilati...

There is much interest in the use of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) to prevent intubation and afford a survival benefit for patients. The risk of pneumonia in patients receiving NPPV has been reported in 12 studies. Compared to patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (4 studies), the pneumonia rate is lower with the use of NPPV (relative risk [RR] 0.15, 95% confiden...