Diaphragmatic Ultrasound Assessment in Subjects With Acute Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure Admitted to the Emergency Department

Early identification of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) outcome predictors in patients with COPD who are experiencing acute hypercapnic respiratory failure consequent to exacerbation or pneumonia is a critical issue. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing diaphragmatic ultrasound for excursion, thickness, and thickening fraction in highly dyspneic subjects with COPD admitted to the emergency department for exacerbation or pneumonia, before starting NIV (T0) and after the first (T1) and second hour (T2) of treatment. Secondarily, we determined whether these variables predicted early NIV failure.