Miniature Ventilator May Help COPD Patients Improve Mobility

An easy-to-carry ventilation system with a simple nasal mask may help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) become more active, according to a new study.

Researchers at Seton Medical Center (SMC, Daly City, CA, USA) enrolled 28 COPD patients on oxygen who had previously completed pulmonary rehabilitation. Patient comfort was tested during a one-hour exposure to ventilator therapy at rest. To determine the efficacy of the system, patients performed two six-minute walking tests, one with nasal cannula oxygen, and one while using the ventilator. The order of the experimental and control walks alternated between patients, and total oxygen use in the control and experimental walks were closely matched.

The researchers found that advanced COPD patients were able to walk farther while using the ventilator and nasal mask interface, in comparison to using oxygen alone. In the six-minute walking test, all 28 patients improved the distance walked by 38 meters on average and a subset of patients with especially severe COPD improved their distance by an average of 85 meters. The ventilator system tested in the study weighs about half a kilogram, and features a smaller, more comfortable mask. The results of the study were presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference, held during May 2011 in Denver (CO, USA).

"Stable outpatients with advanced COPD were very comfortable while using the ventilator system and many of the patients studied expressed interest in using the device on a routine basis at home," said lead author and study presenter Chris Garvey, FNP, MSN, MPA, manager of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation at SMC. "Although further research is needed, these results suggest that this new system may provide a practical method of improving activity limitation in advanced COPD."

COPD is the co-occurrence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of commonly coexisting diseases of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed. This leads to a limitation of the flow of air to and from the lungs, causing shortness of breath. In clinical practice, COPD is defined by its characteristically low airflow on lung function tests. In contrast to asthma, this limitation is poorly reversible and usually gets progressively worse over time. COPD is caused by noxious particles or gas, most commonly from tobacco smoking, which triggers an abnormal inflammatory response in the lung. The natural course of COPD is characterized by occasional sudden worsening of symptoms called acute exacerbations, most of which are caused by infections or air pollution. COPD is projected to be the fourth leading cause of death worldwide by 2030 due to an increase in smoking rates and demographic changes in many countries.


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