Nighttime assisted ventilation is not the beginning of the end. It is the beginning. Definitions Alveolar refers to the alveoli in the lung, the air sacs that must receive fresh air with each breath. Apnea is when no ventilation occurs at all. M.D. Dr. Oppenheimer is a pulmonologist specializing in noninvasive ventilation for people with motor neuron diseases.
Pneumonia is our number one nemesis.
People with ALS don't usually die from respiratory failure initiated by pneumonia. But good health doesn't just happen. Normally with respiratory muscle weakness, without pneumonia, noninvasive ventilation achieves improved gas exchange in the alveoli of the lungs. When alveolar ventilation is satisfactory, CO2 is eliminated and oxygen is provided. The arterial oxygen saturation then is usually a good guide to adequate ventilation.