Role of non-invasive ventilation in difficult-to-wean children with acute neuromuscular disease
Reddy, V.G.; Nair, M.P.; Bataclan, F.
Singapore Medical Journal 45(5): 232-234
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-5675 PMID: 15143361 Document Number: 567309
Weaning from mechanical ventilation in children could be time-consuming and on many occasions, leads to reintubation with its associate complications. We report two children with acute neuromuscular disease, in whom bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) as a mode of non-invasive ventilation was successfully used to wean the child from ventilators and prevented the need for tracheostomy. Despite the limited number of studies published in the literature suggesting BiPAP as a mode of weaning from mechanical ventilation, the technique when applied correctly seems to be safe and effective in weaning and avoiding tracheostomy.