The use of non-invasive ventilation for acute respiratory failure in general medical wards: a regional Italian survey

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a rapidly spreading method in the last years even outside of intensive care units for the treatment of patients with acute respiratory failure. Its use in general medical wards in Italy and Europe is still largely incomplete and there are clear gaps in terms of organization, training, selection, and patient monitoring. If these gaps are filled, NIV has also proven to be effective in general medical wards, especially if they have a critical care area. This publication reports the data collected by an Italian regional survey on the use of NIV in internal medicine, highlighting positive and negative aspects.