[Home Mechanical Ventilation in Germany].

DEVELOPMENT OF HOME MECHANICAL VENTILATION (HMV) IN GERMANY: HMV has become a well-established treatment option in Germany. However, during the last decade the number of patients established on HMV is exploding, and this has reached economical and ethical limits. Consequently, a discussion within the health policy concerning this issue is urgently needed. REVISION OF GUIDELINES: The German Respiratory Society has completely revised and thematically complemented its guidelines on HMV. Concerning the professional policy perspective, these guidelines cover essential aspects of the organisation and implementation of HMV, while simultaneously summarizing the current scientific evidence. Based on this, treatment algorithms for different entities are provided. NEW EVIDENCE FOR NON-INVASIVE VENTILATION (NIV) IN COPD: Current data provide evidence that the prognosis of COPD patients can be improved by NIV. This is true for patients with both chronic hypercapnia and persistent hypercapnia following exacerbation treated in the hospital. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.