[Non-invasive home mechanical ventilation in the COPD patient]

The potential benefits of non-invasive mechanical breathing in clinically stable COPD patients are still not well known, nor have they been sufficiently studied. We evaluate whether non-invasive mechanical ventilation is beneficial to these patients.

A cross sectional study was carried out evaluating the application of non-invasive home mechanical ventilation (BIPAP), during the nocturnal rest in 23 COPD patients, who presented hypercapnia in basal arterial gasometry during clinical stability. Clinical, gasometric and spirometric evaluations were carried out 3, 6 and 12 months after initiating this therapy. Similarly, an evaluation was made of the number of admissions due to worsening of the underlying respiratory pathology during one year. Results. The patients included in the study had an average age of 68.83 years. Sixty point nine percent (60.9%) presented a severe degree of COPD. Sixty-nine point six percent (69.6%) of the total sample had previously received continuous oxygenotherapy at home; 75% of them presented severe or very severe COPD. During the period of time of the study a fall was recorded in the number of hospital admissions due to worsening (0.61+/-0.15 annual admissions on average) with respect to the period of time prior to the non-invasive mechanical ventilation (1.07+/-0.16 admissions on average), with greater benefits obtained by those who had previously shown a higher number of admissions and those with associated comorbidity. A reduction was also appreciated in the arterial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) in the majority of cases, principally those who at the start of the study presented a PaCO2>63.32 mm of Hg; this improvement was appreciated from the first three months of treatment.