Clinical Research Directory

Respiratory Strategies in COPD Patients With Persistent Hypercapnia Following Exacerbation

This multicenter, cross-over study aims to investigate the effects of two different respiratory strategies, the use of high flow nasal cannula (NHF) and the use of home mechanic ventilation (HMV), both associated with standard oxygen therapy, in patients with COPD and persistent hypercapnia following a severe acute exacerbation. The purpose is to evaluate whether the clinical benefits, in terms of reduction in PaCO2 levels, resulting from the use of NHF are non-inferior to those obtained from the use of HMV. Partecipants will be randomized at 1:1 ratio into two groups: group 1: will start the respiratory strategy under study (NHF + standard oxygen therapy) as first treatment group 2 will start the control respiratory strategy (HMV + standard oxygen therapy) as first treatment. The study has a crossover design: each patient will undergo treatment with the two different respiratory strategies, NHF and HMV, each lasting for 3 months

High Flow Nasal Cannula Versus Non-Invasive Ventilation in Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive lung disease is a disabling disease that affects people usually after several years of smoke tobacco exposure and affects millions of patients worldwide. The disease is marked by multiples episode of worsening, termed exacerbations necessitating frequent hospitalizations. During these exacerbations, patients present breathless, and in the most severe cases, are admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for respiratory assistance. Currently, respiratory assistance is provided by a ventilator via a oronasal mask (referred to non-invasive ventilation, NIV), that helps patients to cope with their breathless. The mask is not always well tolerated and the ventilator sessions are delivered intermittently. In the past decade, a new technique that provides air-oxygen with high flow has been developed. This technique, called High Flow via Nasal Cannula (HFNC) can deliver from 21 to 100% heated and humidified air-oxygen at a high flow of gas via simple nasal cannula. Recent studies have shown that the technique is very efficient to treat patients presenting with acute respiratory failure who don't have any underlying chronic pulmonary disease. Whether the technique would be also efficient in patients with COLD presenting with severe exacerbations has not yet been demonstrated. Since HFNC does not require any mask, it is thought that the comfort of the patient would be much better in comparison to NIV and could potentially help to treat many patients with the disease. The objective of the present study is to study the physiological effect of HFNC as compared to NIV in patients with severe exacerbations of COPD and to show that it is non-inferior to NIV.

Monitoring of the End-tidal Carbon Dioxide (EtCO2) as a Severity Criterion in COPD Exacerbations

Although we know that these numbers are underestimated, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory disease that affects between 8 and 12% of adults. According to a 2020 WHO report, it is the third most common cause of mortality in developed countries. This disease is punctuated by exacerbations associated with an 8% mortality of hospitalized patients, increased to 24% when the patient is admitted to intensive care unit. Early detection and treatment of these exacerbations appears to be essential to improve patient survival. End-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) is used to assess a patient's respiratory and hemodynamic status. Indeed, EtCO2 is a non-invasive measure that could allow the estimation of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) without performing blood gases, an arterial blood sampling, classically at the radial artery. This study aimed to find an EtCO2 value which at the time of the initial management, would be predictive of a severe COPD exacerbation, as well as PaCO2.