Non-invasive ventilation in the postoperative period: Is there a role?

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation or non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has emerged as a simpler and safer alternative to invasive mechanical ventilation in patients developing acute postoperative respiratory failure. The benefits of NIV as compared to intubation and mechanical ventilation include lower complications, shorter duration of hospital stay, reduced morbidity, lesser cost of treatment and even reduced mortality rates. However, its use may not be uniformly applicable in all patient groups. This article reviews the indications, contraindications and evidence supporting the use of NIV in individual patient groups in the postoperative period. The anaesthesiologist needs to recognise the subset of patients most likely to benefit from NIV therapy so as to apply it most effectively. It is equally important to promptly identify signs of failure of NIV therapy and be prepared to initiate alternate ways of respiratory support. The author searched PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE, without date restrictions. Search terms included Non-invasive ventilation, postoperative and respiratory failure. Foreign literature was included, though only articles with English translation were used.