Bilevel positive pressure (BiPAP) non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is frequently used in our emergency department (ED), as an adjuvant in the treatment of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE) to reduce the need for tracheal intubation (TI) in these patients. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the safety of NIV in patients with ACPE in our ED, used by a group of physicians outside the intensive care unit (ICU), by comparing our results with previously published results. We also wanted to identify possible additional advantages of NIV in the treatment of acpe. We recorded clinical and physiological data before and after NIV of all patients with diagnosis and treatment of ACPE in our ED and for whom NIV was ordered as adjuvant treatment, between July 2004 and February 28 2005. During this period, NIV was ordered in 17 patients with ACPE. The mean ventilation pressures used were p(INSP) 16.5 +/- 5 cm H2O and p(exp) 8.8 +/- 4 cm H2O. none of the patients refused NIV. In six patients NIV was not initiated immediately together with medical therapeutics. one patient required Ti and the other 16 (94%) improved after NIV. After the acpe episode had resolved, fourteen patients (82%) were eventually discharged from hospital whereas 3 (18%) died during hospitalization. We observed a statistically significant improvement after one hour of NIV in respiratory and pulse rate, arterial pH, PaCO2 and peripheral blood O2 saturation. Despite the small sample size, these results suggest that it is possible to use NIV in the treatment of ACPE outside the ICU, without increasing the risks of TI or decreasing efficacy. In these cases NIV probably accelerates clinical resolution and relieves symptoms.