RMD ResMed Inc

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ResMed (NYSE: RMD) welcomed positive results from a multicenter, randomized controlled trial known as HOT-HMV. The study was presented today during the 2016 European Respiratory Society International Congress, in London.

The HOT-HMV trial studied COPD patients who were hypercapnic, that is, had high carbon dioxide levels in their blood, and who were hospitalized after their COPD worsened. The study assessed whether adding home non-invasive ventilation to home oxygen therapy could improve the length of time these patients went without dying or being re-admitted to the hospital. 

COPD is a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It is a progressive, fatal condition that is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The United States Centers for Disease Control estimates that COPD costs the United States $36 billion dollars in direct and indirect costs.

Patients in the study who received at home non-invasive ventilation in addition to oxygen therapy had a 51 percent decreased risk of re-hospitalization or death, compared to those who received oxygen therapy alone. (These results were based on a hazard ratio of = 0.49, 95 percent confidence interval = (0.31, 0.77) p=0.002).

Patients who received home non-invasive ventilation at home went a median of 4.3 months without dying or being admitted to the hospital, compared to 1.4 months for those who did not receive non-invasive ventilation.

"These study results add further weight to the existing evidence supporting the broader use of non-invasive ventilation for patients living with COPD. The results strengthen arguments for a pivotal study in the area," said ResMed chief medical officer, Glenn Richards, M.D.

"In particular, the results are important because they show giving patients with hypercapnic COPD a non-invasive ventilation device for use in the home can very significantly cut their risk of re-hospitalization and death after an acute worsening of the disease."

"Today, nearly one in four patients with COPD in the United States will be re-hospitalized following an acute exacerbation, significantly impacting patients' quality of life and driving increased costs to healthcare systems and payers," Dr Richards said.

To curb the financial impact of COPD, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  has started penalizing hospitals that have high readmission rates after an acute exacerbation of COPD. 

"We hope these results will have a positive impact on current practice and encourage more healthcare professionals to consider the role of non-invasive ventilation in managing their COPD patients," Dr Richards said.

More detail on the HOT HMV study can be found at www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk.

About COPD
COPD is a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It is a progressive, fatal condition that causes irreversible damage to the lungs and airway. It can have a major impact on an individual's quality of life. It is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and is the only major disease that is increasing in prevalence globally, across all continents.  During the course of their disease, COPD patients can experience acute exacerbations, which manifest themselves as a sudden worsening of symptoms and can lead to respiratory failure, hospitalization and death. Although the damage caused by COPD cannot be reversed, it is possible to slow the progression of the disease through treatment and lifestyle changes.

About The HOT-HMV Study
HOT-HMV is a multi-center randomized controlled trial conducted in the United Kingdom that evaluated the role of at home non-invasive ventilation in the treatment of hypercapnic COPD.  One hundred sixteen patients who experienced an acute worsening of their COPD that required hospitalization were randomized to receive at home non-invasive ventilation plus oxygen therapy or to at home oxygen therapy alone. 

The primary endpoint was re-hospitalization free survival defined as the time from trial intervention to either hospital admission or death as measured over the course of one year.  Secondary outcome measures included measurements of lung function and changes in health related quality of life. 

About ResMed
ResMed (NYSE:RMD) changes lives with award-winning medical devices and cutting-edge cloud-based software applications that better diagnose, treat and manage sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic diseases. ResMed is a global leader in connected care, with more than 1 million patients remotely monitored every day. Our 5,000-strong team is committed to creating the world's best tech-driven medical device company – improving quality of life, reducing the impact of chronic disease, and saving healthcare costs in more than 100 countries.

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SOURCE ResMed Inc.