Respiratory Failure in Acute Medical Unit

Abstract

The huge rise in patients presenting to acute medical units with respiratory failure during covid-19 pandemic has exposed the acute physician to different types of assisted ventilation, which was not implemented frequently before the pandemic. High-flow nasal oxygen and non-invasive ventilation have reduced the need for invasive mechanical ventilation. Shortage in level 3 beds is still an issue, and even after the pandemic, the idea of introducing level 1.5 or enhanced care in acute medical units is evolving, which means that acute physicians are more likely to deal with respiratory failure cases and should be aware of the indications and benefits of these two modalities. The authors discussed in this review the basics of using high-flow and non-invasive ventilation in a straightforward approach.