INTRODUCTION: In home mechanical ventilation (HMV), the mask is a key factor for patient comfort and therapeutic adherence. There is no evidence on the best strategy for choosing the mask in HMV. OBJECTIVE: To explore patient preference when prescribing the mask for HMV treatment and assess its relationship with effectiveness. METHODS: A prospective study with repeated measures in stable patients receiving home nocturnal ventilation. Alternating oronasal mask (ONM) and nasal mask (NM) were tested in day and overnight sessions, with arterial blood gas measured and SpO₂ monitored. At the end of each evening session, patients rated interface comfort using a visual analog scale. At 3 months we evaluated adherence and effectiveness of the treatment. RESULTS: Twenty-nine subjects (mean ± SD age 65 ± 13 y, 44% male) completed the study. Initial functional values were PCO₂ 57.4 ± 5.2 mm Hg and time with SpO₂ < 90% (T90) 81.5 ± 9.5%. Both ONM and NM significantly decreased PCO₂ and T90. Over a third (38%) of our subjects preferred ONM, while NM was deemed more comfortable in general. At 3 months, effectiveness and adherence showed no differences between those treated with NM or ONM. CONCLUSIONS: Patient choice is an effective criterion for selecting the interface in HMV treatment.

Background: Leakage is common in patients receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV) via a face mask. Although pressure ventilators have partial compensatory capacity, excessive leakage can compromise the effectiveness of treatment. Home ventilators are equipped with built-in software which provides information on leakage. However, the values of leakage and their effects in routine clinical practice are currently little known. Objective: To measure leakage in stable patients on nocturnal HMV and its impact on treatment effectiveness. Methods: Consecutive outpatients on HMV were recruited. Nocturnal pulse oximetry was performed at home and leakage was measured using the ventilator’s built-in software. We measured: mean SpO₂, percentage of time with SpO₂ <90% (T90), mean leakage (meanL), maximum leakage (maxL), and minimum leakage (minL) during the ventilation session. We estimated ventilator capacity to compensate for leakage according to inspiratory positive airway pressure and divided the patients into two groups: those with leak compensation and those without. Results: The study included 41 patients [mean age, 64 years (SD 11.9); 23 (56%) women]. Nocturnal pulse oximetry showed an SpO₂ of 94% (±2.9) and a T90 of 10% (±21.7). Leakage (in l/min) was: meanL, 32.2 (±15.3); maxL, 64.8 (±28.5), and minL, 18.8 (±10.6). Seven cases (17%) had leakage greater than the ventilator compensatory capacity, but no significant difference in SpO₂ or T90 was observed between patients with or without leak compensation. Conclusions: A wide variation between maxL and minL was observed in our series; 17% of cases had higher leakage values than the compensatory capacity of the ventilator, but this did not affect nocturnal oxygenation.