A retrospective comparison of the effectiveness of positive airway pressure device (EZPAP®) and noninvasive mechanical ventilator (NİMV) used for patients admitted to the emergency service with the diagnosis of heart failure

Aim: Heart failure (HF) ranks in the top there in developed countries. In our country, also, HF patients frequently go to emergency services and receive treatment respiratory distress was evaluated in heart failure patients and it was observed that NIMV application when necessary, improved blood gas parameters and improved oxygenation. Produced as a positive airway pressure therapy system, the EzPAP® device has the capacity to provide supplemental oxygen when used with compressed oxygen. In this study, we aimed to retrospectively compare the efficiency of NIMV and EzPAP®, which were applied during the treatment stage of patients followed in the emergency service with the diagnosis of hearth failure. Materials and methods: Our study was planned as a retrospective observational study. Patients who come to emergency with shortness of breath, were diagnosed with hearth failure, were 18 years or older, and were treated with NIMV and EzPAP® were included in the study. Patients with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were intubated, diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome whose file records could not be accused and whose data were missing in the system or on the file were excluded from the study. The blood gas parameters of the patients before the start of the treatment and at the second hour after NIMV or EzPAP® application, and their vital signs at the time of admission and emergency service outcomes were compared. Findings: A total of 79 patients, including 51 NIMV, 28 EzPAP® were included in the study. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of age, gender and additional disease distribution (P>0,05). There was no statistically significant difference between the effects of both treatment methods on the blood gas parameters of the patients at admission and at the second hour after treatment (P>0,05). It was found that pH and sPO2 levels improved in both groups in blood gas samples taken treatment. Conclusion: NIMV is an important step in the oxygenation part of treatment for HF patients. We think that EzPAP® can also be used as an alternative to NIVM in the appropriate patient population, if sufficient prospective randomized controlled studies are conducted and proven to be effective. Key Words: Hearth Failure, Noninvasive mechanical ventilator, EzPAP®, Blood Gas