Use of Mechanical and Noninvasive Ventilation in Black and White Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients Within the Veterans Administration Health Care System

Abstract

Black patients with COPD exacerbation in VA hospitals are more likely than white patients to receive MV, and this difference is not explained by available clinical or demographic variables. By contrast, black and white patients are equally likely to receive NIV. These findings suggest that unmeasured factors, such as patient preferences or disease severity, may be affecting the use of MV in this setting and therefore warrant further investigation.