Regional Ventilation and Radioaerosol Pulmonary Deposition Through Different Positive Pressure Strategies in COPD Patients.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by a poorly reversible airway obstruction and consequent systemic manifestations. Its high prevalence and high number of diagnosed patients has become a challenge for health services due to the costs of diagnosis and treatment of these patients. Positive pressure and aerosol therapy are preferred therapies for the management of COPD symptoms, but their effects when associated are poorly studied. The objective of this study is to compare the effects of different positive pressure strategies associated with aerosol therapy through Pulmonary Scintigraphy and Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) in patients with COPD in the intercrise period. This is a randomized, crossover, blinded and allocated crossover type clinical trial in which patients with moderate to severe COPD will be allocated to three intervention groups with different strategies for positive pressure associated with aerosol therapy: control group 1 nebulization), group 2 nebulization with EPAP valve and group 3 nebulization with NIV bi-level pressure mode. The radioaerosol deposition pattern will be evaluated through Pulmonary Scintigraphy and regional pulmonary ventilation through EIT.