The Feasibility and Efficacy of Heated Humidified Nasal Cannula (AIRVOTM) in Hospital and at Home - An Open-Label, Non-Randomized Pilot Study.

COPD is a respiratory condition that is often associated with cigarette smoking, and defined by incompletely reversible airflow obstruction and complicated by exacerbations. Mucous hypersecretion with impaired mucociliary transport are frequently present, and are associated with infective AECOPD, and death related to pulmonary infection. COPD is both common, affecting 1 in 6 Canadians, and burdensome, being the 4th leading cause of death, in the Canadian population.

In Canada, the most common primary diagnosis associated with admission to hospital is acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). For moderate to severe COPD, the average patient will have more than 2 AECOPD per year. A single episode conveys a poor prognosis, being associated with death, further AECOPD events, and reduced health-related quality of life. Despite multiple guideline-based management strategies, 1 in 3 patients with AECOPD will have another episode within 8 weeks.

Although the technology for heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has been available for two decades, it has only recently become widely available for adults. The rapid humidification of gas allows this system to achieve flow rates of up to 60 liters per minute. These two factors, in combination, allow for a higher achieved fraction of inspired oxygen, and benefit the expectoration of secretions and ventilatory efficiency. Randomised clinical trials of ICU patients have demonstrated that HFNC is non-inferior to non-invasive ventilation both in the setting of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and as an adjunct therapy post-extubation.

HFNC is a promising treatment for patients with COPD as it can counteract potentially harmful mucous abnormalities by reducing mucous viscosity and restoring mucociliary transport. Randomised studies have also demonstrated that HFNC administered at home results in an increased the time to first exacerbation, fewer AECOPD, improved quality-of-life, and reduced PaCO2. However, the efficacy of HFNC during hospital admission, when mucous abnormalities and poor expectoration could be most pronounced, has not yet been studied. Furthermore, the feasibility and efficacy of this device as a patient transitions from the hospital to the community after an AECOPD remains to be elucidated.

The objectives of this study are to test the efficacy of a heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula used during and after a hospital admission for AECOPD to reduce the risk of return to ER or readmission, and the feasibility of implementing such a device starting in hospital with transition to the home environment.