Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) and ResMed (NYSE:RMD) today touted results from a collaboratively-supported clinical trial exploring the use of home noninvasive ventilation with oxygen therapy on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, which indicated improved survivability and prolonged time to readmission.
Results from the study were published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“Patients with severe COPD and persistent hypercapnia have historically had limited therapy options available to them and outcomes have generally been poor. The trial suggests that combining home oxygen and home non-invasive ventilation therapy can reduce hospital readmissions while maintaining patients’ quality of life, which will drastically change the way we approach COPD treatment worldwide. We are looking forward to hopefully decreasing the mortality and readmission rates that result from severe COPD with further research,” Dr. Nicholas Hart of London’s St Thomas’ Hospital said in a prepared statement.
The 116-patient, 12-month study aimed to explore the effect home non-invasive ventilation and oxygen therapy had on time to readmission or time to death in patients with persistent hypercapnia after an acute COPD exacerbation, compared to those treated with home oxygen therapy alone.
A total of 64 patients in the trial completed the 12-month study period, with a median time to readmission or death of 4.3 months for those treated with home NIV and oxygen therapy versus 1.4 months for those on home oxygen alone, according to study results.
For patients treated with home NIV and oxygen therapy, the 12-month risk of readmission or death was 63.4%, with patients treated with home oxygen therapy alone at 80.4%.
After 12 months, 16 patients in the home NIV and oxygen therapy had died, versus 19 in the home oxygen therapy only group, according to study results.
“This study shows that home non-invasive ventilation is a potent, therapeutic tool that clinicians can use to help keep patients with advanced COPD out of the hospital. We hope that this will, in turn, allow them to lead healthier and more active lives at home. These findings add considerably to our knowledge of this highly prevalent and debilitating respiratory disorder, and are expected to greatly influence how clinicians care for patients with COPD on long-term oxygen therapy,” Philips chief medical liaison Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong Jr. said in a press release.
“This trial adds decisively to the growing body of evidence supporting the broader use of non-invasive ventilation for patients with COPD. Just knowing NIV can help cut re-hospitalization or death risk in half is a game changer,” ResMed chief medical officer Dr. Carlos Nunez said in a prepared statement.
