Use of non-invasive ventilation                                                                                                                                                    at end of life

1. Susan K Baxter
   1. School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
2. Wendy O Baird
   1. School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
3. Sue Thompson
   1. The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
4. Stephen M Bianchi
   1. Academic Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Sheffield Thoracic Institute, Sheffield Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
5. Stephen J Walters
   1. School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
6. Ellen Lee
   1. School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
7. Sam H Ahmedzai
   1. Academic Unit of Supportive Care, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
8. Alison Proctor
   1. The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
9. Pamela J Shaw
   1. The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
10. Christopher J McDermott
    1. The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

1. Christopher J McDermott, The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, 385a Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2HQ, UK. Email: c.j.mcdermott@sheffield.ac.uk

Dear Editor,

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to the comments by Bach and Esquinas¹ in response to our article.²

In our experience, nasal masks or nasal pillows, when used during the day, enable patients to communicate, eat and drink while still receiving some ventilatory support, something some are unable to manage to do without this ventilatory support, even for brief periods. Using a simple mouth piece is tiring, very position-dependent and not something routinely used in …

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