Which factor is crucial for maintaining airway patency during BiPAP therapy?

Maintaining airway patency during BiPAP therapy is fundamentally reliant on the presence of expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP). EPAP serves to increase the end-expiratory lung volume and keeps the airways open, preventing collapse during exhalation. This is especially important for individuals with obstructive respiratory conditions, where maintaining a patent airway is necessary to facilitate adequate ventilation and oxygenation.

The role of EPAP is to counterbalance the negative pressures that may occur during expiration, ensuring that the airway remains open throughout the respiratory cycle. This function is vital in conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea and other scenarios where airway collapse poses a risk.

In contrast, while inspiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP) is crucial for aiding inhalation and improving tidal volume, it is the EPAP that predominantly effects airway stability during expiration. The I:E ratio and respiratory rate, while relevant parameters in monitoring and managing ventilation settings, do not have the same direct role in maintaining airway patency as the EPAP.