Chronic Ventilatory Support in Obstructive Lung Disease

Chronic ventilatory support is currently a well-accepted therapy in patients with chronic respiratory failure due to thoracic cage abnormalities or in patients with neuromuscular disease. In contrast, the evidence to use chronic ventilatory support in patients with obstructive lung disease is less clear. Most of studies in this area have been in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and only a few in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and bronchiectasis. In this chapter, we will focus primarily on COPD, discussing first the rationale of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in these patients and second all randomized controlled studies. Thereafter, we will elaborate on different issues that might be important in making NIPPV more effective in patients with COPD. Finally, we will discuss the effects of chronic ventilatory support in patients with CF and bronchiectasis.