24-Hour NAVA Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Failure

To date, studies using NAVA technology have been limited to short term evaluations (under 3 hours). No serious adverse events have been observed in patients enrolled in our 3-hour study of NAVA in patients with acute lung injury. All 15 patients successfully tolerated the period of ventilation (i.e. there were no dropouts) with NAVA and the stability of the blood gas parameters over time reveals the efficiency of this new mode of ventilation in regards to oxygenation. A longer study may help to evaluate patient tolerance of NAVA and stability over time. A longer study will also demonstrate the feasibility of NAVA to adapt to changes in respiratory drive, changes in patient status, and the interventions of health care providers. A longer time frame should help us understand the parameters for titration of NAVA settings over time and establish some indications/limits for the future use of this promising technique. This intermediate study will generate the data necessary for the development of additional protocols to refine NAVA application and to compare NAVA to other assist modes.