Home non-invasive ventilation: An observational study of aetiology, chronic respiratory failure of multiple aetiologies, survival and treatment adherence

Home non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is used to treat patients with chronic respiratory failure (CRF). However, knowledge on the prevalence and impact of multimorbid aetiology of CRF, patterns of NIV use, and survival of these patients is limited. Our aim was to analyse the multiple aetiologies of CRF, patterns of NIV use and the outcome of those patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1,281 patients treated with home-NIV between 2004 and 2014 in Turku University Hospital, Finland. The patients were divided into nine disease categories: obstructive airways disease (16 %); obesity hypoventilation syndrome (11 %); neuromuscular disease (10 %); chest wall diseases (4 %); sleep apnoea (26 %); interstitial lung diseases (3 %); malignancy (2 %); other (3 %) and acute (8 %), which refers to the patients who did not fulfil criteria of CRF. In addition, multiple aetiologies of CRF were found in 17 %. Mean adherence to home-NIV was 6.0 ± 4.4 h/d and median treatment duration 410 (120–1021) days. Adherence, treatment duration or survival did not significantly differ between patients with either single or multiple causative diseases leading to CRF. Median survival was 4.5 years (95 % CI 3.6 to 5.4). The main reasons for discontinuing NIV were death (56 %) and lack of motivation (19 %). We conclude that home-NIV is used in a variety of diseases. CRF of multiple aetiologies is prevalent and not limited to chronic obstructive lung disease and obstructive sleep apnoea overlap syndrome. However, the adherence to home-NIV or survival did not differ between patients with a single or multiple diseases causing CRF, but the survival of the home-NIV patients differed according to the underlying aetiology of CRF.