Who Are the Ideal Candidates for Non-invasive Ventilation at Home, Particularly Among Patients With Chronic Respiratory Conditions?

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Ideal candidates for non-invasive ventilation (NIV) at home include patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), thoracic restrictive disorders, and obesity hypoventilation syndrome. For COPD patients, especially those who are persistently hypercapnia after acute exacerbations, NIV at home can significantly improve survival rates and reduce healthcare utilization. In the context of thoracic restrictive disorders, patients suffering from conditions like ALS, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, and others may benefit from NIV to manage hypercapnic respiratory failure. Obesity hypoventilation syndrome patients, defined by obesity, daytime hypercapnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, may also require NIV if CPAP therapy is not sufficient to correct their ventilation disorders .

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Non-invasive Ventilation in the Post-Acute Care Setting, presented by Claire Aloan, MS, RRT-NPS, FAARC.