What Is the Utility of Noninvasive Ventilation in the Management of Acute Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure Associated With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?

Authors included 17 randomized controlled trials comprising 1,264 patients from 697 citations retrieved from their initial literature search. Mean age of included patients was 66.8 years, and 65% of patients were men. Noninvasive ventilation decreased mortality, decreased need for intubation, and decreased length of hospital stay (Table). The number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome was 12 (95% confidence interval 9 to 23) for mortality benefit and 5 (95% confidence interval 5 to 6) for intubation.

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