TY - JOUR T1 - Non-invasive ventilation in the management of acute respiratory failure in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P2960 AU - Alessandra Concas AU - Laura Battistella AU - Chiara Mastrotto AU - Giovanna Arcaro AU - Luciana Paladini AU - Federico Gallan AU - Maria Rita Marchi AU - Andrea Vianello Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2960.abstract N2 - Background: This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the efficacy of NIV in preventing endotracheal intubation (ETI) and reducing mortality rates in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) who develop Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF). Patients'clinical and laboratory characteristics that can be considered risk factors for NIV failure were also analyzed.Methods: Design: A retrospective analysis of short-term outcomes in 18 IPF patients receiving NIV for ARF. Setting: a 4 bed Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) in a university hospital.Patients and intervention: Eighteen IPF patients who received NIV between January 1, 2005 and April 30, 2013. Outcome measures: The need for ETI despite NIV treatment and the mortality rate during their RICU stay. The length of the patients' stay in the RICU was also evaluated.Results: NIV was successful in 8 patients and unsuccessful in 10 who required ETI. All the patients in the NIV failure group died within 20.2+/-15.3 days of intubation. The NIV success group patients spent fewer days in the RICU (11.6+/-4.5 vs 24.6+/-13.7; p=0.0146). NIV failure was correlated to the plasma NT-proBNP level at RICU admission (p=0.0326) with an odds ratio (OR) of 12.2 (95% CI, 1.2 to infinity) in patients with abnormally high NT-proBNP levels (>900 pg/ml).Conclusions: Use of NIV has been found to be associated with clinical benefits in selected IPF patients,preventing the need for intubation and reducing the rate of complications/death. Elevated plasma NT-proBNP levels at the time of admission to an ICU is a simple, clinical marker of poor NIV outcome. ER -