Highly Accessed Letter

Is non-invasive ventilation the best ventilatory support for 'do not intubate' patients?

Guillaume Lacroix1*, Julien Legodec2, Erwan D'Aranda1, Pierre Esnault1, Pierre-Emmanuel Romanat1 and Philippe Goutorbe1

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Teaching Military Hospital Sainte Anne, Boulevard Sainte Anne, BP 20545, 83041 Cedex 09 Toulon, France

2 Pneumology Department, Teaching Military Hospital Sainte Anne, Boulevard Sainte Anne, BP 20545, 83041 Cedex 09 Toulon, France

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Critical Care 2012, 16:442 doi:10.1186/cc11435


See related letter by Scala and Esquinas, http://ccforum.com/content/16/3/429

Published: 8 August 2012

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

We agree with the letter from Scala and Esquinas [1] in response to the article by Schortgen and colleagues [2], who emphasised the use of non-invasive ventilation in the ICU as the best ventilatory treatment for 'do not intubate' octogenarian patients. Scala and Esquinas argued that ICU beds are scarce and that the ICU environment alters contact between the patient and family.