Non Invasive Mechanical Ventilation in Elders with Acute Heart Failure

The aim of the study was to confirm the usefulness of Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) in elders with multiple comorbidities,admittedfor Respiratory Acidosis (RA) due to Heart Failure (HF), and to determine their survival one year after discharge. Design: Observational prospective trial made at the Hospital Universitario La Princesa (Madrid) between October of 2009 and December of 2012. We included 42 elderly patients with HF and AR treated with NIV. Results: 62% were females, with a mean age of 78.2 years. Charlson Index was 3.41 and the mean of prescriptions per day was 5.8. The main complication during admission was cardiovascular disease, and 25% of patients passed away during admission. The most frequentre-admissiondiagnosiswas HF. Global survival was 60%. Discussion: NIV is a useful treatment for elderly patients with HF and nonintubation orders. The principal factors associated to mortality were: low pH and high PaCO2 at ER, high respiratory rate and previous comorbidities.