An innovative approach combining negative-pressure ventilation and extended pulmonary rehabilitation for long-term COPD management.

Authors

Lan-Fang Tung, Shu-Chuan Ho, Ping-Tsung Yu, Yi-Chun Huang, Dong-En Chuang, Lauranne Scates, Yu-Wei Hou, Xiao-Yue Chen

Published in

Therapeutic advances in respiratory disease. Volume 20. Pages 17534666261507214. Epub Nov 10, 2026.

Abstract

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a leading cause of global mortality, driven by declining lung function and frequent exacerbations. Conventional pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs usually last 6-12 weeks, and evidence supporting long-term PR is limited. In addition, the role of negative-pressure ventilation (NPV) in the management of COPD remains unclear.ObjectivesThis study investigated the clinical efficacy of a sequential long-term NPV and PR program in patients with COPD.DesignA retrospective cohort study.MethodsWe analyzed 125 COPD patients treated between 2019 and 2023. The intervention group received 12 months of NPV preceding hospital-based PR with lower-limb exercise twice weekly (NPV-PR), while the comparison group received PR alone. Longitudinal outcomes included pulmonary function tests, 6-min walking distance (6-MWD), COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score, Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea score, and the number of acute exacerbations.ResultsThe NPV-PR group showed significant within-group improvements in pulmonary function, marked by an increased change in forced vital capacity (ΔFVC%) and a significant reduction in residual volume (ΔRV). Despite a lower baseline 6-MWD, the NPV-PR cohort achieved 12-month walking distances comparable to the PR-alone group. Furthermore, CAT scores declined rapidly by 6 months in the NPV-PR group, suggesting NPV may accelerate symptom relief. Notably, the combined approach sustained long-term rehabilitation benefits, yielding significant reductions in mMRC dyspnea scores and the expected count of acute exacerbations.ConclusionOur findings suggest that integrating long-term NPV with extended PR may represent a novel strategy, potentially optimizing the long-term management and clinical trajectory of patients with symptomatic COPD.

PMID:
43007013
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Nov 2026.

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