Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2025

Surfactant Depletion Combined with Injurious Ventilation Results in a Reproducible Model of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ARDS
Published on: April 7, 2021
Successful Treatment of Respiratory Failure in a Patient with Prader-Willi Syndrome with Noninvasive Ventilation with
Nauras Hwig1, Montserrat Diaz-Abad2, Victor T Peng1
1Sleep Disorders Center, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Insights
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) patients with severe obesity and breathing issues can be successfully treated with a newer noninvasive ventilation (NIV) method. This approach improved patient outcomes during hospitalization and long-term recovery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Pulmonology
- Genetics
Background:
- Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is the leading genetic cause of obesity, characterized by hyperphagia starting in early childhood.
- Obesity in PWS frequently leads to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS).
Observation:
- A case report details a patient with PWS, morbid obesity, severe OSA, and OHS experiencing hypoxemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure.
- The patient required hospitalization due to critical respiratory compromise.
Findings:
- Successful treatment was achieved using average volume-assured pressure support, a novel noninvasive ventilation (NIV) modality.
- This NIV approach led to significant clinical improvement and enhanced gas exchange during the hospital stay.
Implications:
- This case highlights the efficacy of advanced NIV in managing complex respiratory failure in PWS patients.
- Long-term follow-up demonstrated sustained benefits, suggesting this NIV strategy is a viable therapeutic option for PWS with respiratory complications.
Abstract:
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is the most prevalent syndromic form of obesity, which starts during early childhood in the setting of hyperphagia. Due to the development of obesity, there is a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among these patients. This case report presents a patient with PWS with morbid obesity, severe OSA, and obesity hypoventilation syndrome admitted to the hospital for hypoxemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) with average volume-assured pressure support, a newer NIV modality, was used successfully to treat this patient, achieving major clinical and gas exchange improvement both during the hospitalization and long term after discharge.
Related Concept Videos
Acute Respiratory Failure-V
Ensure that patients are monitored continuously for their response to therapy, including changes in...
Mechanical Ventilation III: Noninvasive Ventilation
Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation...
Ventilatory Modes
There are three ventilatory modes: full support, partial support, and spontaneous. These are described below.
Full Support Modes
Full support modes include controlled mechanical ventilation, continuous mandatory...
Acute Respiratory Failure-III
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management
Mechanical Ventilation II: Invasive Ventilation
Negative-Pressure Ventilators
Negative-pressure ventilators create a vacuum around the chest or body to draw air into the lungs, simulating breathing. This method does not require an...

