Abstract

Polysomnography (PSG) is recommended for non-invasive ventilation (NIV) set-up in patients with chronic respiratory failure. In this pilot randomised clinical trial, we compared the physiological effectiveness of NIV set-up guided by PSG to limited respiratory monitoring (LRM) and nurse-led titration in patients with COPD–obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) overlap. The principal outcome of interest was change in daytime arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO₂) at 3 months. Fourteen patients with daytime PaCO₂ >6 kPa and body mass index >30 kg/m² were recruited. At 3 months, PaCO₂ was reduced by −0.88 kPa (95% CI −1.52 to −0.24 kPa) in the LRM group and by −0.36 kPa (95% CI −0.96 to 0.24 kPa) in the PSG group. These pilot data provide support to undertake a clinical trial investigating the clinical effectiveness of attended limited respiratory monitoring and PSG to establish NIV in patients with COPD–OSA overlap.