Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation in Patients With Milder Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations: A Randomized Controlled

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of the addition of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) to standard medical therapy on length of hospital stay among patients presenting with mild exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring hospitalization. DE-SIGN: Randomized controlled unblinded study with concealed allocation. SETTING: Respiratory ward of a single-center, academic, tertiary-care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with a prior history of COPD who presented with a recent onset of shortness of breath and a pH of> 7.30 were eligible for inclusion in the study. INTERVENTIONS: NPPV daily for 3 days for intervals of 8, 6, and 4 hours, respectively, plus standard therapy, versus standard therapy alone. MEASURE-MENTS: Borg dyspnea index at baseline, 1 hour, and daily. Length of hospital stay, endotracheal intubation, hospital survival. RESULTS: We found that NPPV was generally poorly tolerated, with only 12 of 25 patients wearing it for the prescribed 3 days. With the exception of a decrease in dyspnea at 1 hour and 2 days, significant between-group differences were not seen for any measured variable. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the addition of NPPV to standard therapy in milder COPD exacerbations remains unclear. Key words: bi-level positive airway pressure, BiPAP, length of stay, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, noninvasive ventilation, dyspnea. [Respir Care 2005;50(5):610–616. © 2005 Daedalus Enterprises