Mask CPAP: state of the art.

Mask CPAP is a safe and effective method of alleviating hypoxemia and reducing the work of breathing in selected patients with mild-to-moderate respiratory failure (PaO2/FIO2 less than 300). When mask-CPAP therapy is applied continuously, it is also effective in the treatment of atelectasis. Other applications of mask CPAP, such as those involving the treatment of asthma, require further investigation.