The practical guide for non invasive ventilation..Part 1

Non-invasive Ventilation

-Provides positive pressure to the patient via a tight fitting facemask

CPAP- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
-Provides a constant level of positive pressure that doesn’t vary
based on the patient’s breathing
- Example- CPAP at a pressure of 10 centimeters of water

BiPAP- Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure

-Provides a baseline level of pressure all the time and increases pressure above that baseline with each inhalation
-Technically BiPAP is a proprietary term but it is often used universally to encompass all modes of non-invasive ventilation
-Example- BiPAP at a pressure of 10/5 (centimeters of water)
-Pressure of 5 all the time, 10 when the patient inhales

BiPAP vs. CPAP
-No differences in any clinically important outcomes in studies
-BiPAP may be more comfortable since it lets patient “rest” in
between breaths
-CPAP tends to be more portable