Neurocognitive and Emotional Morbidity and Quality of Life

Improvements in medical management both in acute respiratory failure and in chronic respiratory disease resulted in an expanding population that have to deal with an enduring critical illness-associated morbidity that involves neuropsychological impairment and/or psychological symptoms that impact on the patient’s quality of life. Cognitive deficits, psychological problems, and quality of life are often connected to, and impact, each other, with different and nonobvious patterns over time. From this perspective, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) treatment produces positive, but not decisive, outcomes both in psychological and cognitive area, which in turn impacts positively on the illness. Therefore, it is important to assess and monitor over time the cognitive and psychological aspects as well as the targeted therapies for both medical and mental health.