Heated High Humidity After COPD Exacerbation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease usually caused by exposure to tobacco smoke which leads to chronic symptoms of shortness of breath, cough, and phlegm. COPD is one of the leading causes of disability and death in Canada. Individuals with COPD often have periodic worsening of their disease, called exacerbations, consisting of increased shortness of breath and often an increase in cough and phlegm. These exacerbations often lead to hospital admission and are associated with worsening symptoms and lung function over time. After an exacerbation individuals with COPD usually take several weeks to return to their previous state of health and many people with an exacerbation who are discharged from hospital return to the ER within 60. Heated humidified air has been shown to improve the clearance of mucous in the lungs for people with chronic lung disease. By providing patients at St. Joseph's Hospital who are discharged after a COPD exacerbation with a device for delivering heated high humidity air to use overnight it is hoped that these individuals will be able to more easily keep their lungs and airways free of mucous. This in turn may lead to improvement in their symptoms of shortness of breath, cough, and phlegm production as well as decreasing obstruction of the airways to reduce the risk of having to return to the emergency room or hospital.