Effective non-invasive ventilation reduces muscle sympathetic nerve activity in patients with stable hypercapnic COPD

This study determined the impact of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in patients with stable hypercapnic COPD. Ten patients (age 70  ± 7 years, GOLD stage 3–4) receiving long-term NIV (mean inspiratory positive airway pressure 21 ± 7 cmH2O) underwent invasive MSNA measurement via the peroneal nerve during spontaneous breathing and NIV. Compared with spontaneous breathing, NIV significantly reduced hypercapnia (PaCO2 51.5  ± 6.9 vs 42.6 ± 6.1 mmHg,p <  0.0001) along with the burst rate (64.4 ± 20.9 vs 59.2 ± 19.9 bursts/min,p = 0.03) and burst incidence (81.7 ± 29.3 vs 74.1 ± 26.9 bursts/100 heartbeats,p = 0.04) of MSNA. This shows for the first time that correcting hypercapnia with NIV decreases MSNA in COPD.
Source: Clinical Autonomic Research - Category: Research Source Type: research