DOI: 10.36347/sasjm.2015.v01i04.012

Pages: Page: 184-190

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) refers to the delivery of mechanical ventilation to the lungs using techniques that do not require an endotracheal airway [1]. NIV has been shown to be an effective treatment for acute hypercapnic respiratory failure, particularly in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [1]. Within both the intensive care unit and the ward environment, it has been shown in randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews to reduce intubation rate and mortality in COPD patients with decompensated respiratory acidosis (pH <7.35 and PaCO2 >6 kPa) following immediate medical therapy [2]. Ours being a tertiary care hospital, we receive a lot of patient who present with respiratory distress. We formulated a study to look into epidemiological profile of these patients along with background illnesses and how they fared on NIV.