Deventilation Dyspnea in COPD Patients Using NIV

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has shown to be an effective therapy for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) with Chronic Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure (CHRF). However, these COPD patients often report severe dyspnoea after switching off from NIV therapy, which leads to discomfort and distress. Currently, it is not known what causes this deventilation dyspnoea and therefore a possible treatment to prevent deventilation dyspnoea is not available. This study investigates possible mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of deventilation dyspnoea in COPD patients by monitoring the effects of NIV on the patient during an afternoon sleep.