Esophageal perforation associated with noninvasive ventilation: a case report.

Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) is widely used to treat acute respiratory failure, the goal being to avoid exposing patients to the morbidity associated with tracheal intubation. NIPPV may reduce the rates of intubation, morbidity, and mortality in selected patient subgroups. Although time-consuming for physicians and nurses, NIPPV is fairly easy to use, and few severe complications have been reported. Esophageal perforation is a well-recognized complication of tracheal intubation but has not been described in association with NIPPV. We report a case of fatal esophageal perforation associated with NIPPV after a surgical procedure.