Ventilators and Ventilatory Modalities

Management of neurological problems in children on home invasive mechanical ventilation

INTRODUCTION

Home invasive mechanical ventilation (HIMV) has become a crucial long-term respiratory support for children with neurological disorders, but requires advanced technological skills and 24-h care. The increasing global population of children on HIMV is attributed to advancements in intensive care and improved survival rates.

METHOD

The manuscript will review the most common neurological problems encountered in children on HIMV.

CONCLUSION

The manuscript emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of managing these patients, involving pediatric pulmonologists, pediatric neurologists, pediatric intensivists, nurses, therapists, dietitians, psychologists, and caregivers. The manuscript outlines the challenges posed by neurological disorders, such as spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, and neurodegenerative disorders, which may result in respiratory muscle weakness and impaired ventilation. The importance of individualized assessments, appropriate ventilator mode and equipment selection, training of caregivers, airway clearance techniques, nutritional support, regular follow-up visits, psychological and educational support, and addressing specific neurological issues such as involuntary movement disorders, prolonged seizures, sleep disorders, pain, sialorrhea, and immobilization-related complications are discussed. The treatment options for these specific challenges are outlined. This review highlights the complex nature of managing children with neurological disorders on HIMV and the importance of a collaborative approach among healthcare professionals and caregivers to optimize care and improve the quality of life for these children.

Successful Treatment of Respiratory Failure in a Patient with Prader-Willi Syndrome with Noninvasive Ventilation with AVAPS

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is the most prevalent syndromic form of obesity, which starts during early childhood in the setting of hyperphagia. Due to the development of obesity, there is a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among these patients. This case report presents a patient with PWS with morbid obesity, severe OSA, and obesity hypoventilation syndrome admitted to the hospital for hypoxemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) with average volume-assured pressure support, a newer NIV modality, was used successfully to treat this patient, achieving major clinical and gas exchange improvement both during the hospitalization and long term after discharge.

APAP, BPAP, CPAP, and New Modes of Positive Airway Pressure Therapy

Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the primary treatment of sleep-disordered breathing including obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and sleep-related hypoventilation. Just as clinicians use pharmacological mechanism of action and pharmacokinetic data to optimize medication therapy for an individual, understanding how PAP works and choosing the right mode and device are critical to optimizing therapy in an individual patient. The first section of this chapter will describe the technology inside PAP devices that is essential for understanding the algorithms used to control the airflow and pressure. The second section will review how different comfort settings including ramp and expiratory pressure relief and modes of PAP therapy including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), autotitrating CPAP, bilevel positive airway pressure, adaptive servoventilation, and volume-assured pressure support control the airflow and pressure. Proprietary algorithms from several different manufacturers are described. This chapter derives its descriptions of algorithms from multiple sources including literature review, manufacture publications and websites, patents, and peer-reviewed device comparisons and from personal communication with manufacturer representatives. Clinical considerations related to the technological aspects of the different algorithms and features will be reviewed.