Addition of in-home noninvasive ventilation to oxygen therapy improves outcomes following COPD exacerbation

(The JAMA Network Journals) Among patients with an excess of carbon dioxide in their blood (persistent hypercapnia) following a flare-up (acute exacerbation) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in-home use of a mask and machine to support breathing in addition to home oxygen therapy prolonged the time to hospital readmission or death, according to a study published by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the 2017 American Thoracic Society Internatio...