Polysomnography-directed Noninvasive Ventilation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV, also known colloquially as "Bipap") has been associated in some studies with improvement in pulmonary function, quality of life and survival. NIV is typically applied during sleep, and without the benefit of sleep study to determine the optimal settings. The investigators have shown that when NIV is used in this fashion, failure of nocturnal oxygenation and ventilation is prominent. This study is randomizing patients to standard application of NIV vs application guided by use of sleep study data to determine the effect of titrated therapy on pulmonary function, quality of life and survival.