Is it safe for patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure undergoing home noninvasive ventilation to discontinue ventilation briefly?

A brief discontinuation (< 1 week) of long-term ventilation may be necessary in patients who are not totally ventilator-dependent in cases of technical problems, intolerable nasal irritation, upper airway congestion, or travel. We examined the incidence, timing, and causes of possible clinical deterioration after a brief withdrawal of ventilation in patients with chronic respiratory failure (CRF) who were well-established on long-term noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV).