Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) vs, intermittent mandatory pressure release ventilation (IMPRV) in patients with acute respiratory failure

Intermittent Mandatory Pressure Release Ventilation (IMPRV) is a positive pressure spontaneous breathing ventilatory mode in which airway pressure is released intermittently and synchronously with patient's spontaneous expiration in order to provide ventilatory assistance. Eight critically ill patients free of any factor known to alter chest wall mechanics (group 1) and 8 critically ill patients whose spontaneous respiratory activity was markedly altered by a flair chest, or by a C 5 quadraplegia and/or by the administration of opioids (group 2) were studied prospectively