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. 2021 May 3;58(11):1077–1084. doi: 10.1007/s13312-021-2377-1

Feasibility of Pediatric Non-Invasive Respiratory Support in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Krishna Mohan Gulla 1, Sushil Kumar Kabra 1, Rakesh Lodha 1,✉
PMCID: PMC8639409  PMID: 33941707

Abstract

Non-Invasive respiratory support can be viewed as mechanical respiratory support without endotracheal intubation and it includes continuous positive airway pressure, bi-level positive airway pressure, high flow nasal cannula, and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation. Over past few years, non-invasive respiratory support is getting more popular across pediatric intensive care units for acute respiratory failure as well as for long-term ventilation support at home. It reduces the need for invasive mechanical ventilation, decreases the risk of nosocomial pneumonia as well as mortality in selected pediatric and adult population. Unfortunately, majority of available studies on non-invasive respiratory support have been conducted in high-income countries, which are different from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) in terms of resources, manpower, and the disease profile. Hence, we need to consider disease profile, severity at hospital presentation, availability of age-appropriate equipment, ability of healthcare professionals to manage patients on non-invasive respiratory support, and cost-benefit ratio. In view of the relatively high cost of equipment, there is a need to innovate to develop indigenous kits/devices with available resources in LMICs to reduce the cost and potentially benefit health system. In this review, we highlight the role of non-invasive respiratory support in different clinical conditions, practical problems encountered in LMICs setting, and few indigenous techniques to provide non-invasive respiratory support.

Keywords: Continuous positive airway pressure, High flow nasal cannula, Low- and middle-income countries, Non-invasive ventilation

Contributors

KMG: literature search, preparation of manuscript; SKK: conception of idea, reviewed manuscript; RL: conception of idea, reviewed manuscript and he is the corresponding author.

Footnotes

Funding: None; Competing interest: None stated.

Note

Additional material related to this study is available with the online version at www.indianpediatrics.net

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