Home mechanical ventilation for COPD: high-intensity versus target volume noninvasive ventilation.

Background: High-intensity noninvasive ventilation (HI-NIV) is the most effective means of improving several physiological and clinical parameters in subjects with chronic hypercapnic COPD. Whether the newer hybrid mode using target tidal volume noninvasive ventilation (target V(T) NIV) provides additional benefits remains unclear.

Methods: Subjects with COPD successfully established on long-term HI-NIV were switched to target V(T) NIV.