Noninvasive ventilation and COPD

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines for noninvasive ventilation (NIV) provide overwhelming evidence that NIV is effective in supporting patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHRF) (BTS, 2002). AHRF, which causes a rise in carbon dioxide levels and a fall in pH, is common in patients presenting with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). NIV is also beneficial to patients with chest wall deformity and neuromuscular diseases.