Role of non-invasive ventilation in difficult-to-wean children with acute neuromuscular disease

VG Reddy, MP Nair, F Bataclan
Correspondence: Dr Venu Gopal Reddy, venu@squ.edu.om

ABSTRACT
Weaning from mechanical ventilation in children could be time-consuming and on many occasions, leads to reintubation with its associate complications. We report two children with acute neuromuscular disease, in whom bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) as a mode of non-invasive ventilation was successfully used to wean the child from ventilators and prevented the need for tracheostomy. Despite the limited number of studies published in the literature suggesting BiPAP as a mode of weaning from mechanical ventilation, the technique when applied correctly seems to be safe and effective in weaning and avoiding tracheostomy.

Keywords: acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, bi-level positive airway pressure, Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuromuscular disorder, non-invasive ventilation
Singapore Med J 2004; 45(5): 232-234