Initiation of Noninvasive Ventilation in ALS Patients With Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency

Initiation of Noninvasive Ventilation in ALS Patients With Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency

This research will study whether noninvasive ventilation (NIV) used to treat chronic respiratory insufficiency in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be initiated as successfully in the outpatient setting as in the conventional inpatient setting, and what the costs of these alternative initiation methods are.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ALS diagnosed by a neurology and
• chronic respiratory insufficiency or significant respiratory muscle weakness caused by ALS

Exclusion Criteria:

• impaired cognition to give informed consent to participation
• contraindication to NIV therapy
• another severe disease with a prognosis of less than one year
• ventilation via an artificial airway, tracheostomy