[Initiation of long-term non-invasive ventilation at home: current practices and expected issues. Surveys from the CasaVNI working party]

Introduction: At the initiative of the Antadir Federation, the expert group CasaVNI has undertaken a study of the current situation and the medium term outlook of the initiation of long term non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in France and other countries.

Methods: Three surveys have been undertaken: (1) the first concerning the modalities of installation and surveillance of long-term NIV in France, (2) a second concerning the same modalities in other countries, (3) a third concerning the current prevalence and expected incidence of long-term NIV over the next few years.

Results: The initiation of long-term NIV takes place in hospital in the majority of cases (France 76%, elsewhere 79%) and the surveillance mainly at a day hospital (France 59%, elsewhere 43%). Despite the interrogation of many sources, the working party has been unable to determine the exact incidence and prevalence of patients receiving long-term NIV in France.

Conclusion: With regard to the initiation of long-term NIV, clinical studies and guidelines are still necessary to validate the alternatives that will permit a response to the increasing demand while maintaining high standards.