Effective non-invasive ventilation reduces muscle sympathetic nerve activity in patients with stable hypercapnic COPD

Binaya Regmi, Chiara Borrelli, Alberto Giannoni, Florian Kahles, Vaughan G. Macefield, Michael Dreher, Jens Spiesshoefer

Research output: Contribution to journalLetterResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Increased sympathetic drive is of prognostic significance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but its determinants remain poorly understood. One potential mechanism may be chemoreflex-mediated adrenergic stimulation caused by sustained hypercapnia. This study determined the impact of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in patients with stable hypercapnic COPD. Ten patients (age 70 ± 7 years, GOLD stage 3–4) receiving long-term NIV (mean inspiratory positive airway pressure 21 ± 7 cmH2O) underwent invasive MSNA measurement via the peroneal nerve during spontaneous breathing and NIV. Compared with spontaneous breathing, NIV significantly reduced hypercapnia (PaCO2 51.5 ± 6.9 vs 42.6 ± 6.1 mmHg, p < 0.0001) along with the burst rate (64.4 ± 20.9 vs 59.2 ± 19.9 bursts/min, p = 0.03) and burst incidence (81.7 ± 29.3 vs 74.1 ± 26.9 bursts/100 heartbeats, p = 0.04) of MSNA. This shows for the first time that correcting hypercapnia with NIV decreases MSNA in COPD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)297-301
Number of pages5
JournalClinical Autonomic Research
Volume34
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2024

Cite this