T he Respiratory Intensive Care Assembly at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) is composed of two areas of interest: noninvasive ventilation and acute critical care. Both of them are mainly focused on respiratory issues related to critically ill patients, aiming to promote the exchange of information between pneumonologists and intensivists, and to foster and encourage education, research a...

PURPOSE To survey the use of invasive and noninvasive home mechanical ventilation (HMV) methods in South Korea from the perspective of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). MATERIALS AND METHODS For 413 users of HMV, retrospective reviews of PM&R interventions and survey of HMV methods employed from Mar 2000 to Dec 2009. RESULTS Of the 413 users, the majority of whom with progressive...

This editorial comments on a meta-analysis of the use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation to treat patients with acute respiratory failure caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations published in the British Medical Journal earlier this year. Based on its analysis of seven randomized controlled trials that met pre-specified criteria, the meta-analysis demonstra...

Introduction Is There a Role for Screening Spirometry? Are Corticosteroids Useful in Late-Stage Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome? Should Patients Be Able to Follow Commands Prior to Extubation? Are Sleep Studies Appropriately Done in the Home? Should Tracheostomy Be Performed as Early as 72 Hours in Patients Requiring Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation? Should Prone Positioning Be Routinely Us...