Compassionate Ventilator Release in Patients With Neuromuscular Disease: A Two-Case Comparison

Dyspnea, the subjective sensation of breathlessness, is a distressing and potentially traumatic symptom. Dyspnea associated with mechanical ventilation may contribute to intensive care unit (ICU) associated post-traumatic stress disorder and impaired quality of life. Dyspnea is both difficult to alleviate and a cause of significant distress to patients, their loved ones, and care providers People living with neuromuscular disease, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or myasthenia gravis (MG), often rely on a ventilator at late stages of illness due to complications of progressive respiratory muscle weakness and paralysis. When unable to wean from the ventilator, conversations turn towards goals of care and release from the ventilator for comfort and end of life (EOL). Patients with and without neuromuscular disease have high risk for dyspnea at EOL upon ventilator liberation. Although limited recommendations have been published specific to patients with ALS, no guidelines currently exist for the terminal liberation from mechanical ventilation in patients experiencing respiratory muscle insufficiency from a neuromuscular disease. Further research on this topic is needed, including creation of a protocol for ventilator release in patients with neuromuscular disease. The following case reports detail the dissimilar EOL experiences of two patients with different forms of neuromuscular disease.