Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with High-Risk Infections in Intermediate Respiratory Care Units and on the Pneumology Ward

Several studies have examined the benefit of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) as first-line therapy in some critically ill patients versus conventional therapy [1]. Currently, NIV is frequently started outside the intensive care unit (ICU)—not only in the emergency department but also in general wards with less-extensive monitoring facilities [2, 3]. Plant et al. [4] showed that it is possible to apply NIV to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypercapnic acute respiratory failure (ARF) in the general ward provided the respiratory failure is not severe (assessed by pH>7.30). A European survey of a European Respiratory Society Task Force [5] defined the ICU as a location with a high staff-to-patients ratio and facilities for performing invasive ventilation and monitoring. It defined a respiratory intermediate ICU (RIICU), or a high-dependency unit, as a specific clinical area that has the capability of performing continuous vital sign monitoring and a staff-to-patient ratio somewhere between those for an ICU and a general ward (usually 1:4). Clinical criteria for performing NIV in an RIICU are based on mental status and the presence (or absence) of multi-organ failure [1].