[Two methods of weaning patients from respirators (with and without IMV). A comparative study in 22 subjects with acute (IRA) or chronic respiratory failure (author's transl)].

22 patients (4 female, 18 male) suffering from severe chronic obstructive respiratory failure (IRCO), were given artificial ventilation because of a super-imposed acute respiratory failure (IRA). The object of this study was to compare different methods of weaning patients from the ventilators using either intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) or an automatically triggered ventilation (VAD). Both blood gases in the acute phase and the functional data collected before the acute exacerbation failed to show any statistical difference between the two groups. The reduction of ventilation in the group of patients weaned by the technique of IMV did not appear statistically significant as shown by the following facts : controlled ventilation (IMV : 2.45 +/- 2.06 days; VAD : 4.72 +/- 3.89 days) : total duration of ventilation (IMV : 7.35 +/- 2.15; VAD : 8.54 +/- 6.56 days). The PaO2 of the subjects weaned by the technique IMV appeared higher before extubation (P less than 0.02) than the PaO2 obtained after weaning on VAD. In patients presenting with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive respiratory failure secondary to a bronchial infection the different techniques of weaning used (whether VAD or IMV) appear identical as regards the total duration of ventilation.