Revue des maladies respiratoires
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To compare the one year survival after discharge from ICU of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admitted for acute hypercapnic respiratory failure and who required mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Our results suggest that in COPD patients requiring mechanical ventilation and who survived after an ICU stay, the use of NIV is an independent factor associated with a better long-term survival, especially in those with a documented cause of respiratory failure.