Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Sep 2013
Multicenter Study Controlled Clinical TrialNoninvasive ventilation for acute respiratory distress in children with central nervous system disorders.
Acute respiratory distress (ARD) is a relatively frequent occurrence in patients suffering from central nervous system disorders (CNSD) and moderate to severe mental retardation. Whenever conventional therapy is little effective, noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) is the additional treatment in patients with diseases of the peripheral nervous system. However, NIV is traditionally little employed in the acute phase in patients suffering from CNSD. In the latter, either conventional therapy is maintained or invasive mechanical ventilation is instituted if the patient's condition worsens severely. To challenge the traditional view, we conducted the study to prove that NIV is both applicable and effective in the treatment of ARD also in children with moderate to severe mental retardation. ⋯ NIV is both applicable and beneficial in stabilizing blood gases, respiratory and cardiovascular parameters also in children with CNSD. Moreover its use shortens the hospital stay.