[Home-respirator treatment in idiopathic hypoventilation (author's transl)].

A report is given on a 66 years old patient with severe idiopathic hypoventilation. Two years ago the disease had developed rather suddenly with severe hypoventilation during sleep, accompanied by marked hypoxemia and hypercapnia with pCO2-values above 100mm Hg and respiratory acidosis. No pulmonary, cardiac or neurological disease was found. After failure of two attempts of stimulation of the phrenic nerve the patient was admitted to a respiratory intensive care unit and ventilated by a respirator during sleep. After improvement of this general condition he was discharged at first only in the daytime, later he could be discharged fully from the unit, after a respirator had been installed in his home. Now the patient is connecting himself to the respirator during sleep and since 20 months is so in a tolerable condition. The indications for home-respirator treatment are discussed.