Audit on non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in acute hypercapnic respiratory failure along with an introduction of proforma for acute NIV prescription

Hypercapnic respiratory failure is a cause of significant morbidity. It occurs in 20% of patients who are admitted with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Non-Invasive-Ventilation (NIV) is a mandatory treatment modality for them. The timely and accurate commencement along with the appropriate maintenance and weaning of NIV is crucial. In this audit cohort, most of the acute-NIV standards were not met as per the British Thoracic Society recommendations. Late detection, poor knowledge of acute NIV-Protocol, and maintenance of NIV has led to these suboptimal standards of the cohort. Therefore, we have suggested an NIV-Proforma to overcome them expecting a good outcome.