Article

There is no published literature on the frequency of use of
non-invasive ventilation (NIV) with airway clearance techniques (ACT) throughout
the cystic fibrosis (CF) population; 3.9% (191 people of 5062 registered) of the
United Kingdom CF population older than 16 years are reported to use NIV in
registry data; however, it is not specified if this is for ACT or respiratory
failure. Using NIV with ACT decreases work of breathing and fatigue during
in-patient admissions for CF patients. We hypothesised these effects could be
replicated at home, potentially reducing hospital admissions. METHOD: Fourteen
adult patients with CF scored ease of clearance and breathlessness with ACT
before and after addition of NIV to normal ACT routine using a visual analog
scale. Patient views on NIV with ACT were collected via a structured interview.
Number of home intravenous (IV) antibiotic courses and days in hospital was
collected for one year pre- and post-NIV provision. RESULTS: Patients reported
statistically significant improvements in ease of clearance (p = 0.011) and
reduced breathlessness during ACT using NIV (p = 0.011). Structured interview
results indicated patient reports of sputum clearance improved. In-patient days
were lower, while home IV days were higher after NIV was set up, although not
statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This study is limited by small numbers;
however, trends towards less hospital admissions and greater patient ease while
using NIV with ACT warrant further investigation.

Langue : ANGLAIS