Pulmonary & Respiratory Medicine

An Update on Domiciliary Non-Invasive Ventilation

Abstract

Comer DM

Chronic respiratory failure (CRF) should be considered a syndrome defined by arterial blood gas abnormalities. Domiciliary non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is an increasingly used intervention to curtail the detrimental effects of CRF in individuals with a broad range of cardiorespiratory disorders. Progress in the provision, monitoring and improvement in patient centred outcomes with NIV has simply been staggering over the last decade. Despite this, questions still remain in terms of the ideal mode of delivery, the most efficient techniques to monitor its effectiveness, and the timing of NIV initiation for several of the more common diseases which can require NIV support. There are a number of mechanisms accounting for the reduced ventilation that is apparent during sleep, even in normal subjects. This represents a particularly unique physiological state whereby changes in upper airway resistance control of respiration and changes in lung mechanics have an impact on the adequacy of tidal volume breathing. Abnormal respiratory events tend to occur specifically during sleep, and so NIV which is appropriate for the awake patient may not be suitable when asleep at night. These factors need to be kept in mind both for the optimal timing of NIV, and the manner in which it should be monitored. This article aims to provide an overview of current concepts in the appropriate mode of delivery of NIV, discusses the patient groups who benefit from its application, highlights challenges with interface design, and aspects that need to be kept in mind in terms of the optimal monitoring of NIV