Loosbrock, Lynn M.

Three patients with different neurologic diseases—amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, poliomyelitis, and idiopathic bilateral diaphragm paralysis—and with chronic ventilatory failure were successfully ventilated with negative pressure. This noninvasive ventilatory technique uses a chest cuirass and provides an alternative to tracheostomy and positive-pressure ventilation. As a result of the benefits that these three patients received, we conclude that the cuirass remains an acceptable method of ventilation for some patients with chronic neurologic disease.