What is a risk associated with high ventilating pressures that NPPV aims to reduce?

High ventilating pressures can lead to ventilator-induced lung injuries (VILI), which are characterized by the damage to the lung tissue caused by mechanical ventilation. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is designed to deliver ventilatory support with lower pressures, which helps to minimize this risk.

The use of high pressures during mechanical ventilation can cause barotrauma (lung over-inflation), volutrauma (injury caused by excessive volume), and other forms of mechanical injury to the lung parenchyma. These injuries can result in increased inflammatory response, pulmonary edema, and can worsen the patient's overall respiratory conditions. By utilizing NPPV, clinicians aim to provide sufficient ventilation and oxygenation while lowering the pressure needed to achieve these outcomes, thereby protecting the lungs from further injury.

While other options such as kidney damage, cardiac arrhythmias, and neurological issues can occur in critically ill patients, they are not directly associated with high ventilating pressures in the same way that ventilator-induced lung injury is. The main focus of NPPV is to mitigate the risks of lung injury through controlled pressure settings.