Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation for ARDS

Its use avoided intubation in more than half of patients and was associated with lower mortality.

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) benefits patients with hypoxic acute respiratory failure of varying etiologies. However, patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) often are excluded from respiratory failure trials because of the syndrome’s complex pathophysiology. Limited data indicate that NPPV may reduce the intubation rate in ARDS patients, but the degree of benefit is not clear. In a prospective cohort study, researchers assessed the utility of NPPV initiated within 24 hours of presentation in patients with ARDS.

Of 479 normotensive ARDS patients who were admitted to three intensive care units (ICUs) during the study period, 147 received NPPV. The remaining 332 patients had been intubated before ICU admiss…

Reviewing Author

Tiffany M. Osborn, MD