Use of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in emergency departments of hospitals in Spain.

A survey was undertaken of the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in Spain. 45.7% of emergency departments use NIV. The average time it has been in use is 4 years. Public hospitals use NIV more frequently (89.5%) as well as teaching hospitals (78.1%). Emergency physicians are the professionals who most frequently use NIV (68.8%). High flux continuous positive airway pressure (58.4%) and facial masks (63.5%) are most commonly used. Only 18.9% of hospitals have quality registration in NIV and 35.6% have protocols for using NIV. The method is underused by technicians working in hospital emergency services and there is a lack of uniform protocols with other departments involved.