Asymmetric High-Flow Nasal Cannula During Pulmonary Rehabilitation in COPD

This randomized pilot trial evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effects of using asymmetric high-flow nasal cannula (A-HFNC) during exercise-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Thirty patients were randomly assigned to conventional PR or PR supplemented with A-HFNC during aerobic training, completing 12 supervised sessions. The study assessed whether A-HFNC could be safely and acceptably incorporated into PR, and whether it enabled higher training intensity and improved exercise performance. Results showed that the intervention was feasible and safe, with 83% adherence in both groups and no adverse events. Patients in the A-HFNC group trained at significantly higher treadmill inclination and showed a clinically meaningful trend toward greater improvement in maximal exercise tolerance. These findings support the design of a larger definitive trial.

NCT Number	NCT07497230
Lead Sponsor	Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Conditions	Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive (COPD), Dyspnea, Exercise Tolerance, Rehabilitation
Enrollment	30 participants
Start Date	2025-05-02
Primary Completion	2025-09-20 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-09-20 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-04-01