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So, what is non-invasive ventilation all about? Well you have come to the right place to find out.

First of all you must forget the commonly held belief many doctors and patients have. That is that to use a ventilator successfully you must use it invasively with a tracheotomy. This page will show you how a ventilator can be used non-invasively.

Secondly and most importantly in order to avoid being forced into invasive ventilation you must not wait until you absolutely need to use a ventilator . You must plan ahead. Don't wait to long to seek help if you are developing breathing difficulties. If you wait until you are in an emergency such as heart failure or respiratory failure most likely you will be trached.

For me respiratory difficulties developed gradually. At first I only needed breathing assistance overnight. Then I began using the ventilator several hours during the daytime also, until eventually I got to the point where I am now. Currently I am only am only able to breath 5 to 15 minutes at the most on my own before I need assistance. When I began having difficulty breathing I didn't want to be using a ventilator with a trach. Fortunately the first respiratory doctor I went to see didn't believe in invasive ventilation for people with my condition. She specialized in non-invasive ventilation. She set me up with my first ventilator equipment. Additionally I began to breath in a unique way over a period of time. Because I developed breathing difficulty slowly I began to compensate for a low breath capacity by in essence gulping air at the end of every breath. Using neck muscles and ones' lounge you can increase your vital capacity to a point where you can sustain your breathing adequately enough to breath on your own for longer periods of time.


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Equipment: To find out what equipment is needed to use non-invasive ventilation press the euip button.

My Story: To find out about my life and how I came about using non-invasive ventilation press the myinfo button.

Muscular Dystrophy information: To find out about duchenne muscular dystrophy, the tricks I've learned and the equipment I use to compensate for its' physical affects on me personally press the mdinfo button.

Links: Check out my links page here.

How do I contact the nivusers web author?: Press the e-mail button. Feel free to drop me a line.


Publications: For detailed information about non-invasive ventilation and related topics check out the following publications.

Guide to the Evaluation and Management of Neuromuscular Disease

By John R. Bach, MD, FAAPMR, FCCP

PULMONARY REHABILITATION The Obstruction and Paralytic Conditions

Edited by John R. Bach, MD, FAAPMR, FCCP

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