Objective: To study the clinical effect of body mass index (BMI) in the optimal time of weaning from sequential invasive-noninvasive mechanical ventilation (MV) by treating severity chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.
Methods: 94 patients with severity COPD were divided into the control group (BMI<21) and the study group (BMI>21). These two groups were treated by similar symptomatic therapies such as mechanical ventilation, antibacterial, antispasmodic, relieving asthma, antitussive, expectorant, correction of electrolyte imbalance and acid-base balance disorders, strengthen nutritional support, etc.
Results: Compared with the control group, the study group had shorter duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, non-invasive mechanical ventilation time, total mechanical ventilation time, total hospital stay (P<0.01). There are significant differences between these two groups in re-intubation rate, VAP occurred in the number of case, hospital mortality rate in 28 days (P<0.05).
Conclusions: It is difficult to wean successfully from sequential mechanical ventilation for severity COPD patients (BMI<21), so BMI as one of important reference index can be used to estimate the optimal time for weaning from sequential mechanical ventilation for severity COPD patients.