Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may cause severe hypercapnic respiratory failure. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is the standard initial respiratory support, but some patients have persistent respiratory acidosis despite NIV. Treatment options are particularly limited when invasive mechanical ventilation is not considered appropriate or is declined by the patient.
Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) uses a low-flow extracorporeal circuit to remove carbon dioxide directly from the blood. When used together with NIV, ECCO2R may reduce the ventilatory demand and work of breathing, improve respiratory acidosis, and facilitate earlier withdrawal of NIV.
This single-center, open-label, randomized proof-of-concept trial will compare NIV plus ECCO2R with NIV alone in patients with an acute exacerbation of COPD and persistent hypercapnic respiratory acidosis after 4 hours of NIV. The study is intended to provide preliminary evidence regarding the physiological effects, clinical feasibility, and safety of adding ECCO2R to standard NIV in this highly selected population. The findings may inform the design of larger clinical trials.
