Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in surgical patients with post-operative acute respiratory failure

SummaryNon-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a technique developed to assist patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) of different origins, which avoids endotracheal intubation. NIV has already been demonstrated to be a useful alternative to invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD, cardiogenic pulmonary oedema and other causes of hypoxemic ARF, avoiding several complications directly related to the presence of an endotracheal tube, such as the increased risk for nosocomial pneumonia.Few studies have evaluated the possible role for NIV in patients developing post-operative acute respiratory failure: this chapter will review the possible indications and the clinical results obtained by applying NIV in patients developing ARF after thoracic and abdominal surgery. The role of different interfaces is also discussed.