Ventilatory support during sleep in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

In conclusion, currently there is no conclusive evidence that NIV should be provided routinely to stable patients with COPD. Nevertheless, patients who are clearly hypercapnic, who receive confirmed effective ventilation by applying higher inspiratory pressures, and have a better compliance might show clinical benefits. The combination of rehabilitation and nocturnal ventilatory support seems to provide more benefits than rehabilitation alone, so this might be a situation in which chronic NIV is effective

Home ventilation for patients with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Purpose of the review The number of patients with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated with chronic non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has greatly increased. In this review, the authors summarize the evidence for nocturnal NIV and NIV during exercise. The authors discuss the multidisciplinary and advanced care of patients with end-stage COPD treated with NIV. Recent findings Nocturnal NIV improves gas exchange, health-related quality of life and survival in stable hypercapnic COPD patients. Improvements in care delivery have been achieved by relocating care from the hospital to home based; home initiation of chronic NIV is feasible, non-inferior regarding efficacy and cost-effective compared to in-hospital initiation. However, the effect of NIV on symptoms is variable, and applying optimal NIV for end-stage COPD is complex. While exercise-induced dyspnoea is a prominent complaint in end-stage COPD, nocturnal NIV will not change this. However, NIV applied solely during exercise might improve exercise tolerance and dyspnoea. While chronic NIV is often a long-standing treatment, patient expectations should be discussed early and be managed continuously during the treatment. Further, integration of advance care planning requires a multidisciplinary approach. Summary Although chronic NIV is an effective treatment in end-stage COPD with persistent hypercapnia, there are still important questions that need to be answered to improve care of these severely ill patients.Peer reviewe

Long-term noninvasive ventilation in COPD:current evidence and future directions

Introduction: Long-term noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is an established treatment for end-stage COPD patients suffering from chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure. This is reflected by its prominent position in national and international medical guidelines. Areas covered: In recent years, novel developments in technology such as auto-titrating machines and hybrid modes have emerged, and when combined with advances in information and communication technologies, these developments have served to improve the level of NIV-based care. Such progress has largely been instigated by the fact that healthcare systems are now confronted with an increase in the number of patients, which has led to the need for a change in current infrastructures. This article discusses the current practices and recent trends, and offers a glimpse into the future possibilities and requirements associated with this form of ventilation therapy. Expert opinion: Noninvasive ventilation is an established and increasingly used treatment option for patients with chronic hypercapnic COPD and those with persistent hypercapnia following acute hypercapnic lung failure. The main target is to augment alveolar hypoventilation by reducing PaCO2 to relieve symptoms. Nevertheless, when dealing with severely impaired patients, it appears necessary to switch the focus to patient-related outcomes such as health-related quality of life