Home respiration
When is intermittent mask respiration done at home?
Patients suffering from neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may experience restrictive respiratory problems as a deficiency of the respiratory muscle pump if respiratory and auxiliary respiratory muscles are involved (diaphragm, intercostal muscles, abdominal muscles, muscles in the shoulder girdle).
Such respiratory problems are expressed as reduced respiratory volumes (vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second) and a reduced oxygen content of the blood (hypoxia), whereas a reduced expiration of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) does not occur until at later stages. Pulmonary function testing and blood gas analysis are appropriate means of detecting changes in these parameters.
Apart from apparatus-based diagnostics, however, there are also sensitive clinical signs which are indicative of an initial deficiency of the respiratory muscle pump, e.g. morning headaches and dizziness, increased tiredness and tendency to fall asleep during the day, increased shortness of breath and number of infections, night-time sleeping problems (difficulty to fall asleep, nightmares, frequent waking-up at night), memory and concentration deficits, depression, anxiety, quickened pulse, nervousness or increased sweating.
Cases where such symptoms occur in conjunction with changes in the above variables constitute an indication for non-invasive, intermittent mask respiration at home which is normally started off and set up in the hospital.
Contact:
Frau PD Dr. A. Sperfeld, Telefon 0731/177-1518,
e-mail anne-dorte.sperfeld@uni-ulm.de
Dr. P. Kühnlein, Telefon 0731/177-5216,
e-mail peter.kuehnlein@uni-ulm.de