Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jan 1990
Continuous positive airway pressure by face mask in Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
We used continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) by face mask to treat 18 AIDS patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) who were in hypoxic respiratory failure. Candidates for mask CPAP were conscious, not hypercarbic, and able to protect their airway on ICU admission. Treatment was effective and well tolerated. ⋯ Hospital mortality was 55%. CPAP by face mask allows speech and permits discussion of therapeutic limits. We present our protocol for using CPAP by face mask and conclude that CPAP is effective supportive therapy in hypoxic respiratory failure complicating PCP and AIDS.