Noninvasive mechanical ventilation in the postoperative cardiac surgery period: update of the literature

This study aimed to update knowledge regarding to noninvasive ventilation (NVI) on postoperative of cardiac surgery in addition at investigating if exists superiority of any modalities NVI in relation to the others. The literature review was performed on the period between 2006 and 2011, on PubMed, SciELO and Lilacs databases crossing the keywords: artificial respiration, continuous positive airway pressure, intermittent positive-pressure ventilation, cardiac surgery and their corresponding in English. Based on the criteria adopted, nine articles were selected being six of them use NVI, through the modalities such as continuous positive airway pressure, positive pressure with bilevel pressure and intermittent positive-pressure ventilation in postoperative of cardiac surgery; only three of them performed comparisons between different modalities. The NVI modalities that were described on the literature had showed satisfactory results. A few studies compare different NVI modalities; however some of them showed superiority in relation to the others, such as the intermittent positive-pressure ventilation to threat hypoxemia and to positive pressure with bilevel pressure to increase oxygenation, respiratory rate and heart rate in these patients, when compared with other modalities.