Airway Occlusion Measured During Non-invasive Ventilation to Assess Respiratory Effort

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is extensively used in critical care settings and emergency departments for a variety of aetiologies but specially for acute respiratory failure (ARF). It eliminates morbidity related to the endotracheal tube and use of sedatives so it reduces intensive care unit (ICU) complications; however, on the other hand, the harmful effects of spontaneous breathing through the intensity of inspiratory effort may predispose the patient to the onset of self-inflicted lung injury (SILI). Therefore, measuring the level of inspiratory effort is recommended.The aim of this proof-of-concept physiological study was to describe the correlation between ΔPocc measured on the ventilator and ΔPes in healthy subjects with NIV.