FIG. 9: The baseline data for the patients randomized in RESCUE reflect the sort of patients seen in general clinical practice. Patients were in late middle age (early 60s), tending toward being slightly overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≈25), with frequent admissions and with severe obstructive airway disease with FEV1 600−700 mL and a relatively significant degree of hypercapnia (PaCO2 values approaching 8 kPa).[13]

The intervention was either standard care or standard care with addition of NIV. The NIV was relatively high-intensity, with inspiratory pressures of just under 20 cmH2O, expiratory pressures of approximately 5.0 cmH2O, and a backup rate on the ventilator set at 15 breaths per min with a slight trend toward increasing the pressures over the period of the trial.

During the study the patients used the NIV in the home-care setting very well, similar to how it was being used within established centers that were used to administering home ventilation, with mean adherence of >6 h/night, which is considered to be acceptable and good levels in clinical practice.