Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Hypercapnia in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease : A secondary analysis of the national emphysema treatment trial

Mathews, Anne M. ; Wysham, Nicholas G. ; Xie, Jichun ; Qin, Xiaodi ; Giovacchini, Coral X. ; Ekström, Magnus LU orcid and MacIntyre, Neil R. (2020) In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases 7(4). p.336-345
Abstract

Rationale: Hypercapnia develops in one third of patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Multiple factors in COPD are thought to contribute to the development of hypercapnia including increased carbon dioxide (CO2) production, increased dead space ventilation, and the complex interactions of deranged respiratory system mechanics, inspiratory muscle overload and the ventilatory control center in the brainstem. However, these factors have not previously been systematically analyzed in a large, well-characterized population of severe COPD patients. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the clinical, physiologic and imaging data from the National... (More)

Rationale: Hypercapnia develops in one third of patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Multiple factors in COPD are thought to contribute to the development of hypercapnia including increased carbon dioxide (CO2) production, increased dead space ventilation, and the complex interactions of deranged respiratory system mechanics, inspiratory muscle overload and the ventilatory control center in the brainstem. However, these factors have not previously been systematically analyzed in a large, well-characterized population of severe COPD patients. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the clinical, physiologic and imaging data from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT). All patients with complete baseline data for the key predictor variables were included. An inclusive list of 32 potential predictor variables were selected a priori based on consensus of the investigators and literature review. Stepwise variable selection yielded 10 statistically significant associations in multivariate regression. Results: A total of 1419 patients with severe COPD were included in the analysis; mean age 66.4 years (standard deviation 6.3), 38% females, and 422 (29.7%) had baseline hypercapnia. Key variables associated with hypercapnia were low resting partial pressure of oxygen in blood, low minute ventilation (Ve), high volume of exhaled carbon dioxide, low forced expiratory volume in 1 second, high residual volume, lower % emphysema on chest computed tomography, use of oxygen, low ventilatory reserve (high Ve/maximal voluntary ventilation), and not being at high altitude. Low diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide showed a positive association with hypercapnia in univariate analysis but a negative correlation in multivariate analysis. Measures of dyspnea and quality of life did not associate with degree of hypercapnia in multivariable analysis. Conclusions: Hypercapnia in a well-characterized cohort with severe COPD and emphysema is chiefly related to poor lung mechanics, high CO2 production, and a reduced ventilatory capability. Hypercapnia is less impacted by gas exchange abnormalities or the presence of emphysema.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
COPD, Hypercapnia, national emphysema treatment trial, NETT
in
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases
volume
7
issue
4
pages
10 pages
publisher
COPD Foundation
external identifiers
  • scopus:85096056213
ISSN
2372-952X
DOI
10.15326/JCOPDF.7.4.2020.0176
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1725c184-acf2-42c1-9d5e-cb8b0c619c71
date added to LUP
2020-11-26 14:46:57
date last changed
2022-04-19 02:19:25
@article{1725c184-acf2-42c1-9d5e-cb8b0c619c71,
  abstract     = {{<p>Rationale: Hypercapnia develops in one third of patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Multiple factors in COPD are thought to contribute to the development of hypercapnia including increased carbon dioxide (CO2) production, increased dead space ventilation, and the complex interactions of deranged respiratory system mechanics, inspiratory muscle overload and the ventilatory control center in the brainstem. However, these factors have not previously been systematically analyzed in a large, well-characterized population of severe COPD patients. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the clinical, physiologic and imaging data from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT). All patients with complete baseline data for the key predictor variables were included. An inclusive list of 32 potential predictor variables were selected a priori based on consensus of the investigators and literature review. Stepwise variable selection yielded 10 statistically significant associations in multivariate regression. Results: A total of 1419 patients with severe COPD were included in the analysis; mean age 66.4 years (standard deviation 6.3), 38% females, and 422 (29.7%) had baseline hypercapnia. Key variables associated with hypercapnia were low resting partial pressure of oxygen in blood, low minute ventilation (Ve), high volume of exhaled carbon dioxide, low forced expiratory volume in 1 second, high residual volume, lower % emphysema on chest computed tomography, use of oxygen, low ventilatory reserve (high Ve/maximal voluntary ventilation), and not being at high altitude. Low diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide showed a positive association with hypercapnia in univariate analysis but a negative correlation in multivariate analysis. Measures of dyspnea and quality of life did not associate with degree of hypercapnia in multivariable analysis. Conclusions: Hypercapnia in a well-characterized cohort with severe COPD and emphysema is chiefly related to poor lung mechanics, high CO2 production, and a reduced ventilatory capability. Hypercapnia is less impacted by gas exchange abnormalities or the presence of emphysema. </p>}},
  author       = {{Mathews, Anne M. and Wysham, Nicholas G. and Xie, Jichun and Qin, Xiaodi and Giovacchini, Coral X. and Ekström, Magnus and MacIntyre, Neil R.}},
  issn         = {{2372-952X}},
  keywords     = {{COPD; Hypercapnia, national emphysema treatment trial; NETT}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{336--345}},
  publisher    = {{COPD Foundation}},
  series       = {{Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases}},
  title        = {{Hypercapnia in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease : A secondary analysis of the national emphysema treatment trial}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.15326/JCOPDF.7.4.2020.0176}},
  doi          = {{10.15326/JCOPDF.7.4.2020.0176}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}