Abstract
[Purpose] The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). [Subjects and Methods] The clinical data of 58 patients with ARDS that required mechanical ventilation in two intensive care units (ICU) was reviewed. [Results] Endotracheal intubation was performed in 55.17% of the total patients and in 39.53% of the patients who received NIV treatment. The APACHE II score for patients who only received IV was significantly higher than those who only underwent NIV (25.67 ± 5.30 vs. 18.12 ± 7.20). However, there were no significant differences in 28-day/90-day survival rates, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay between these two groups. For patients from a NIV-to-IV group, the APACHE II scores before endotracheal intubation were higher than the scores from IV patients (26.12 ± 4.08 vs. 21.94 ± 6.10). The 90-day survival rate in the NIV-to-IV group was significantly lower than that of the IV-only group (23.5% vs. 73.3%), although there was no difference in the 28-day survival rate between the two groups. [Conclusion] The application of NIV reduces the percentage of patients requiring endotracheal intubation.