Our panel attempted to develop guidelines that would meet the needs of a person with recent onset spinal cord injury who is in respiratory distress. This document represents the best recommendations that we could provide given the availability of scientific evidence. As chairman of the panel writing these guidelines, my goal was to gather and disseminate the best available knowledge and information about managing the respiratory needs of patients with ventilation problems. I know from many years of personal experience that the acute respiratory management of persons with spinal cord injuries is highly variable, and there is a great need for development of scientifically based standards of care. Unfortunately,.
