Quality Control of HMV Equipment in Europe

HMV is considered to be relatively safe (17), but a recent study demonstrates that there are sometimes considerable differences between the actual set and prescribed values of ventilator variables and that the alarm function when present does not always work (18). 

The number of patients receiving HMV in Europe will continue to rise because of a combination of the background aging population, improved survival of patients with chronic respiratory disease, and a shift toward treating more people with COPD and OHS. 

Other than consensus opinion on when to initiate HMV (21), there are as yet very few guidelines within Europe on how to practically implement HMV. It is probably for this reason that there is little standardization and regulation of HMV between or even within European countries. This lack of uniformity extends to quality control of the equipment itself, and this in turn impacts on patient safety as well as satisfactory patient outcomes. 

National Association for Home Care Patients with Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency (ANTADIR). 1998 yearly satistics. Observatoire 1998. 

Laub M, Berg S, Midgren B. Home mechanical ventilation-inequalities within a homogenenous health care system. Respir Med 2004 98 38-42. 

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