Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute Asthma Exacerbations: A Systematic Review

All statistically significant outcomes favored NIV plus standard medical therapy over standard medical therapy alone in adults with acute asthma exacerbations. Our aggregate data suggest that intubation rate may be reduced with NIV plus standard medical therapy, although the overall quality of the evidence is low. If this is a true effect, it may be clinically important, because intubation has been shown to correlate with mortality in multiple observational trials. Given these findings, patients with acute asthma exacerbations may benefit from a trial of NIV in addition to standard medical therapy.