Patient Preference for Mouthpiece Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are likely to develop progressive respiratory insufficiency, leading to noninvasive ventilation during the night and, later, during night and day. Ventilation via a mouthpiece (MPV) is an elegant option to offer daytime ventilation. The patient preference regarding the ideal material for daytime MPV is unclear. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine which ventilator, tubing support and mouthpiece was most effective and preferred by patients with NMDs. METHODS: Two separate MPV equipment sets were compared in 20 patients with NMDs in a randomized cross-over study. The first set consisted in a non-dedicated ventilator for MPV (PB560, Covidien) combined with a customized tubing support on the shoulders and a plastic angled mouthpiece. The second set included an MPV-dedicated ventilator (Trilogy 100, Philips Respironics) without back-up rate and kiss trigger combined with a commercially available tubing support and a silicone straw mouthpiece. The Borg dyspnea score, the free time without noninvasive ventilation, the transcutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2) and carbon dioxide tension (TcCO2) were recorded without and with MPV. A 17-items list assessing the patient perception about MPV sets was completed.