Home use of Non-invasive Ventilation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Literature Review and Update.

Non-invasive ventilation use in acute COPD exacerbation and acute respiratory failure is very strong, however the evidence beyond home non-invasive ventilation for COPD patients is less clear. In this review we summarize the literature on the effectiveness of home non-invasive ventilation on mortality, hospital admission rates, quality of life, lung functions, gas exchange, exercise tolerance as well as mood and anxiety. Published guidelines from multiple societies mostly give weak and conditional guidelines on the use of home non-invasive ventilation. High intensity home non-invasive ventilation was recently introduced and may further improve the outcomes. New research regarding high intensity home non-invasive ventilation and new technology are needed to define the role and the benefits of home non-invasive ventilation in patients with COPD. Keywords: Home non-invasive ventilation, COPD, GOLD