Mechanical ventilation in critically ill cancer patients

Outcomes for cancer patients undergoing mechanical ventilation have improve d in recent times, and the outlook for this patient group is no longer hope less. Advances in ventilation techniques and increasingly sophisticated equ ipment have allowed oncologic intensivists to intervene more effectively in their patients' critical illness. In addition, many of these patients are now referred for intensive care much earlier. This article reviews the use of mechanical ventilation in critically ill cancer patients and includes di scussion of the recently published outcome literature. We also discuss some recent advances in the broader field of mechanical ventilation and demonst rate how these advances can be applied to the oncology population. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.