An Audit on Outcome of Noninvasive Ventilation in Type II Respiratory Failure in COPD and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Cases in a Tertiary Care Hospital Intensive Care Unit

ARTICLEpatients may develop alveolar hypoventilation and hypercapnia leading to acidemia.These patients require ventilatory assistance in an intensive care unit (ICU) setup as per the British/American European guidelines. 6 IntroductIonThe frequently occurring chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a cause of type II respiratory failure and is responsible for substantial morbidity and deaths, and the preferred intervention is noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for better results. 1 Complications related to airway and sinuses can be minimized by employing NIV.In this audit, British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines were followed to find out the utility of infrastructure, training, case selection, and results of NIV care. 2 Complications of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) include cardiovascular-related problems, unsatisfactory quality of life, compromised driving safety, and mental health problems.NIV is beneficial in the management of OSA. 3,4 In critical care settings, the administration of NIV decreases death rates in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) with an arterial potential of hydrogen (pH) of <7.35, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO 2 ) >45 mm Hg. 5 crIterIa "An acute worsening of respiratory symptoms that requires additional therapy" is defined as AECOPD, and many of these patients may require critical care.Acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHRF) is seen in about one-fifth of these patients.These