Obstructive diseases of the upper airways are common in children and sometimes difficult to manage. Non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) consists of delivering continuous positive pressure during all or part of the respiratory cycle via a non-invasive interface (face mask or nasal mask, or nasal prongs). NPPV is the treatment of choice for severe obstructive sleep apnoea in children and should be considered prior to tracheotomy and is also indicated in the case of persistent sleep-disordered breathing following surgical treatment, a frequent situation in children with a malformation of the head and neck or upper airways.

A simple ventilator, able to deliver continuous positive airway pressure, is sufficient is most cases in otolaryngology. The interface represents the major technical limitation of NPPV, especially in infants for whom no appropriate commercial interface is available. A sleep study before and after initiation of NPPV, followed by regular follow-up examinations, is essential to confirm correction of gas exchanges and sleep quality in response to NPPV.

Finally, NPPV must be performed in a specialized paediatric centre with specific expertise in this field.