What are the different types of non-invasive ventilation?

Among several health conditions that make it challenging to lead a normal life, breathing problems have become a serious concern. Troubles with inhaling and exhaling air make it hard to go about your everyday life and lead to other health complications. For managing these breathing issues, non-invasive ventilation is one of the best treatments. It ensures oxygen delivery to your lungs via a face mask, which eliminates the need for an endotracheal airway. Studies suggest that relying on this treatment method has physiological benefits over conventional mechanical ventilation. In addition, research shows that people who opt for early extubation before non-invasive ventilation spend less time on invasive ventilation. For more information on non-invasive ventilation and its types, read our next sections.

What is non-invasive ventilation? How does it work?

The non-invasive treatment is an effective solution for curing breathing problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, and other issues. The method creates a positive airway pressure where the pressure inside the lungs is lesser than outside of the organ. Because of this, the air is forced inside the respiratory system. It reduces the respiratory effort and work of inhaling air. Furthermore, a non-invasive ventilation machine keeps the lungs expanded by improving the functional residual capacity after a normal expiration. This air is used for gaseous exchange.

What are the two types of non-invasive ventilation?

Basically, non-invasive ventilation is of two types, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and negative pressure ventilation (NPV).

1. NIPPV: It refers to the type of ventilation where the oxygen is delivered at constant or variable pressure through a face mask. Its examples include constant positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine and Bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) device.

• CPAP: The machine delivers fixed positive pressure during the inspiration and expiration process that ensures that the airway stays open. The device is suitable for use at home and is commonly used for people suffering from nocturnal sleep apnea. Besides helping with respiratory function, the device also assists with cardiac problems in patients with low cardiac output.

• BiPAP: A type of non-invasive ventilation machine, BiPAP delivers different airway pressure depending upon inspiration and expiration. Here, the inspiratory airway pressure (iPAP) is typically more than the expiratory airway pressure (ePAP). Thus, ventilation is usually delivered by iPAP, while ePAP uses collapsed alveoli for gas exchange and aids the removal of exhaled gas.

1. NPV: The negative-pressure ventilation offers support through a machine that encases the thoracic cage. Although the device is not used popularly in the present-day world, it was used a lot during the first half of the twentieth century. It operates by reducing the pressure around the thorax, which results in the creation of sub-atmospheric pressure. This expands the chest wall and inflates the lungs.

So, non-invasive ventilation helps patients in breathing suffering from breathing problems. The non-invasive ventilation machine is primarily of two types, positive and negative pressure ventilation.

Hi! I am Atticus! I’m a reputed professor of psychology and management. I love to study human psychology and have read several books on Human Behavior. Most of my articles and blogs are on the disturbed sleep cycle and what causes sleep deprivation.