Noninvasive ventilation for decompensation of chronic respiratory failure

MASK DELIVERY: Noninvasive ventilation designates ventilation methods which do not use the endotracheal route. Noninvasive ventilation is generally delivered via a facial mask (generally for patients with acute respiratory failure) or a nasal mask (widely used for home-delivery systems). INDICATIONS: Following work conducted by Rideau in the eighties who made the first ventilation trials in patients with myopathy, Meduri then Brochard focused interest on noninvasive ventilation for the management of acute episodes in patients with chronic respiratory failure. Following a simple algorithm, first intention noninvasive ventilation can be used in case of acute decompensation of chronic respiratory failure when the degree of urgency and the patient's status do not require immediate endotracheal ventilation. A WEANING TOOL: In addition to this well recognized indication, recent trials have demonstrated the usefulness of noninvasive ventilation as a weaning tool for patients on conventional endotracheal ventilation.