Non-invasive ventilation

Our acute non-invasive ventilation (NIV) service offers inpatient treatment to people who are very unwell with respiratory failure.

Respiratory failure can develop from many different conditions, but commonly we treat people with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For some people, NIV can be a life-saving treatment.

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a treatment that helps you breathe when you have a breathing problem. Our patients are usually admitted as an emergency through A&E and directly to our dedicated NIV areas, which are called acute respiratory units (ARU). Patients are cared for by the multidisciplinary NIV team. This involves respiratory consultants, specially trained nurses, respiratory physiotherapists and many other members of the hospital teams.

Meet the team

Consultant

Dr Susannah Bloch, lead for NIV at St Mary’s Hospital

Nurses

Greg Hext, ward manager, Marjorie Warren ward at Charing Cross Hospital
Natasha Delaney, ward manager, Manvers ward at St Mary’s Hospital

Respiratory physiotherapist

Vijay Padmanaban, AIR team lead

Patient information

Non-invasive ventilation treatment for inpatients

A NIV machine supports your breathing, offering gentle help with every breath you take. A NIV treatment involves having a mask fitted tightly over your nose, mouth and sometimes eyes. It is held in place with straps around your head, and connects via tubing to the NIV machine.

Once your mask is fitted, you will be asked to breathe as normally as possible. With each breath, the machine will provide air into your lungs at a set pressure. As you breathe out you will notice a little resistance – this is to help keep your lungs open.

NIV can help avoid the need for a breathing tube and a ventilator for some patients in the intensive care unit. On average, NIV treatment last three days, but this can vary from person to person.

Watch the video below to learn more about NIV treatment. 

Feedback about treatment

We are currently running a patient-centred quality improvement project and asking all our patients to share their feedback about their experience to help improve our service. If you would like to share comments about your experience with us please email imperial.acute-niv@nhs.net.

Patient information leaflets

• Non-invasive ventilation

Resources for professionals

As part of the development of our NIV service, we created a video for healthcare professionals as well as guidelines and an algorithm explaining when it is appropriate to use. If you'd like to request copies of the algorithm or guidelines, please contact the team.