Non-Invasive Ventilation in Alveolar Obesity-Hypoventilation Syndrome

Abstract

Obesity is the main risk factor for several sleep breathing disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), either alone or associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and alveolar obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (AOHS). In several of these conditions, the indicated treatment includes the use of non-invasive ventilation during sleep, such as the use of continuous positive airway pressure (continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP) and two-level pressure (BIPAP, bi-level positive airway pressure). In this chapter, a brief review is made of what the most recent studies say regarding the treatment of SOHA with non-invasive ventilation (NIV), comparing different ventilation modes and/or treatments.