ABSTRACT

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in addition to the standard treatment in the respiratory failure due to acute exacerbation in the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) decreases the need for endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation and their related complications. Helmet is a transparent interface device which has better tolerance in that it does not exert pressure on the face and ensures the connection between the patient and the ventilator device in the NPPV application. Herein, we presented three cases whom we applied NPPV with helmet in the intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure because of acute exacerbation of COPD. During the follow-up of cases with Helmet, while the rapid improvement was observed in their oxygenation and clinical status, levels of PCO2 improved relatively slowly. These cases have demonstrated that the successful results would be able to be obtained by normalizing blood gases via NPPV application with helmet in the acute exacerbation of COPD. Besides, the optimal interface selection is discussed in this study.

Keywords: Acute respiratory insufficiency, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, helmet