Abstract
Long-term noninvasive ventilation (NIV) to treat chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure is still controversial in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, with the introduction of high-intensity NIV, important benefits from this therapy have also been shown in COPD. In this review, the focus will be on the arguments for long-term NIV at home in patients with COPD. The rise of (high-intensity) NIV in COPD and the randomised controlled trials showing positive effects with this mode of ventilation will be discussed. Finally, the challenges that might be encountered (both in clinical practice and in research) in further optimising this therapy, monitoring and following patients, and selecting the patients who might benefit most will be reviewed.
Abstract
Adequately set chronic NIV improves outcomes in COPD patients with severe chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure http://ow.ly/slW230i8lck
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: M.L. Duiverman reports receiving grants from Philips/Respironics, RESMED and Vivisol, and personal fees from Novartis outside the submitted work.
- Received January 19, 2018.
- Accepted January 27, 2018.
- Copyright ©ERS 2018
This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence 4.0.
