Abstract

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) has been shown to be an effective modality for the treatment of acute or chronic respira­tory failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Interest in NPPV has grown in recent years with the devel­opment of comfortable and effective masks, but the selection of an appropriate patient/ventilator interface may play a key role. Currently a variety of disposable NPPV masks are available, classified broadly as either nasal mask or face mask. Here, a case with COPD whose res­piratory acidosis improved by total-face mask (TFM) was presented, and therefore we discussed the efficacy of TFM in acute respiratory failure.