Noninvasive Ventilation Not Likely to Help ALS Patients with Poorer Breathing Control, Study Finds

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) can be ineffective in preventing episodes of upper airway obstruction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, likely because of unstable breathing control and poorly working bulbar motor neurons — those needed for swallowing, speaking and chewing — in these people, a study suggests.