Kittredge Lecture: Determining Noninvasive Ventilation Failure in Pediatric Patients.

Noninvasive ventilation is a standard therapy to treat respiratory distress in children and its successful use has been shown to shorten stay. However, with its application there are risks for adverse events, and therapy failure has been linked to prolonged time on invasive mechanical ventilation, increased stay, and mortality. It is essential for respiratory therapists to understand the factors contributing to noninvasive ventilation failure and what is known on how to predict which children will fail noninvasive ventilation from the existing literature.