Non-invasive Ventilation in Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease - a Feasibility Study

Non-invasive Ventilation in Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease - a Feasibility Study

The efficiency of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in hypercapnic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during pulmonary rehabilitation has been shown in numerous studies. There is only a limited number of therapeutic options for patients with severely progressed interstitial lung disease (ILD). The question whether chronic hypercapnic ILD-patients are able to profit from nocturnal NIV and thus increase their performance in physical training has been left unknown. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of the initialization of a NIV for hypercapnic ILD-patients during pulmonary rehabilitation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• confirmed diagnosis of Interstitial lung disease
• Hypercapnia defined as carbon dioxide partial pressure ≥45 mmHg (at rest, night or activity)
• already existing but not sufficient and regular use of non-invasive ventilation (≤3h/24h)
• patients consent to participate in this trial

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute pulmonary insufficiency (ph<7.35)
• acute, clinically relevant heart disease
• already existing and sufficient use of non-invasive ventilation (≥3h/24h)
• Body-Mass-Index>30
• obstructive sleep apnea
• Intolerance to perform non-invasive ventilation
• acute infection