A New Score for Predicting Failure of Noninvasive Ventilation

Use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) can avoid intubation in some patients with respiratory failure by temporarily supporting ventilation during initial treatment, but many patients fail NIV and ultimately need intubation. Patients at risk for NIV failure may benefit from early intubation or close observation. These authors derived and validated a score to predict NIV failure in patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure admitted to a respiratory intensive care unit in China.

In a derivation cohort of 449 patients, researchers used stepwise multivariable regression analysis to identify parameters measured 1 hour after initiation of NIV that predicted NIV failure. Each of the five parameters identified — Heart rate, Acidosis, Consciousness (…