Ventilatory support and respiratory infection in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes significant and progressive functional loss, leading to a high degree of dependence. The disease’s consequences include hypoventilation, inefficient cough, dysphagia, and malnutrition, which predispose patients to recurrent respiratory infections and reduced life expectancy. A growing number of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients are being treated with mechanical ventilation at home. Ventilatory support can be invasive or non-invasive. Since little has been reported on the association between ventilatory support type and the incidence of pneumonia in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, this study aims to evaluate the incidence density of pneumonia in Brazilian patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis who received private home care, correlating it with ventilatory support type and comparing it with the global incidence among home care patients.