Reply to letter to the editor – Mechanical ventilation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Unresolved dilemma

We are grateful to Dr's Santos et  al. for their comments on our article. Indeed, a critical limitation of studies employing large databases is the lack of granular patient-level data. The character of the underlying disease and the severity of illness at presentation undoubtedly plays a role in determining a patient's suitability for mechanical ventilation, although the significance of individual measures remains unclear [1]. We did not intend to investigate prognostic factors, and further prospective work is needed to help determine which cohort of patients may benefit most from mechanical ventilation (MV).

Source: Respiratory Medicine CME - May 31, 2016 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Barret Rush, Katie Wiskar, Landon Berger, Donald Griesdale Source Type: research