EDITORIAL

Noninvasive ventilation in chronic ventilatory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease M.W. Elliott Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been one of the major advances in respiratory medicine in the last decade. In particular, it has found widespread applica-tion in the management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is a robust evidence base for its use in acute exacerbations of COPD, but the evidence that it is effective in chronic COPD is much less strong. Despite this, COPD is one of the most common reasons for long-term home mechanical ventilation. Early experience was with negative pressure devices, usually used for short periods in hospital [1–4]. Studie