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Long‐term management of respiratory failure in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Author(s) -
Sivak Edward D.,
Gipson W. Terry,
Hanson Maurice R.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410120104
Subject(s) - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , medicine , intensive care medicine , respiratory failure , long term care , ventilation (architecture) , mechanical ventilation , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , nursing , psychiatry , disease , surgery , pathology , engineering , mechanical engineering
Present‐day technology has made the in‐home care of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation increasingly common. When this technology is applied to the care of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, physiological, psychological, and ethical issues must be adequately addressed. Assessment of medical and social factors in six patients, four of whom are still living, indicates that in‐hospital as well as follow‐up evaluation should be carried out in an effort to anticipate the long‐range problems, challenges, and limitations of home care ventilation. Because of increasing availability and simplicity of portable respiratory support devices, the implications of long‐term ventilatory support for some patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and similar illnesses will become more commonly considered in planning long‐term home care.