Chapter 12: Respiratory care, CPR and blood transfusion
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Non‐invasive ventilation
Definition
Non‐invasive ventilation (NIV) is the application of positive airway pressure using a mechanical device via an external (i.e. non‐invasive) interface such as a face‐mask, nasal mask or helmet. It has become a standard of care in many forms of acute respiratory failure and can provide more immediate relief of respiratory symptoms when compared to standard therapy (Brill [30], Davison et al. [57]). Maintenance of positive pressure throughout the respiratory cycle can have numerous benefits, such as relieving dyspnoea, improving oxygenation, optimizing gas exchange and reducing the work of breathing (Ireland et al. [117]).
The term NIV is often used interchangeably to refer to both a method of respiratory support and a mode of ventilation. For the purpose of this section, NIV is used in the context of a method of respiratory support unless otherwise specified.
