Management of Acute and Chronic Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure in Severe Obesity-Hypoventilation Syndrome: A Case Study of Multi-Modal Therapy and Long-Term Weight Loss

BACKGROUND Obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), also known as Pickwickian syndrome, is a respiratory consequence of morbid obesity, usually treated with non-invasive positive airway pressure (PAP) therapies and weight loss. This study reports a 53-year-old woman with a body mass index of 49 kg/m² who experienced acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to OHS. Her treatment involved mechanical ventilation, home oxygen therapy, and long-term weight loss of >30 kg. CASE REPORT A 53-year-old woman (109 kg) presented with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to OHS, which improved with mechanical ventilation and diuretics. After discharge from the hospital, she was treated with nocturnal non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) and home oxygen therapy. Over a 5-year period, following loss of >30 kg, she was re-evaluated for the discontinuation of NPPV and oxygen therapy. She was evaluated with various NPPV settings and oxygen doses, monitored by transcutaneous pressure of carbon dioxide (PtcCO₂). On NPPV, PtcCO₂ levels ≥55 mmHg were maintained within 10 min, indicating that the durations of PtcCO₂ ≥50 mmHg were too prolonged for her to be switched to continuous PAP therapy. Nonetheless, oxygen therapy was discontinued because the duration of peripheral blood oxygen saturation <90% was brief. CONCLUSIONS For patients with OHS treated with NPPV and oxygen therapy, weight loss alone may not improve hypoventilation and wean the patient from NPPV. Besides obesity, various factors influence respiratory compromise in OHS; hence, a comprehensive assessment of hypoventilation, including PtcCO₂ monitoring, is essential to determine whether NPPV withdrawal is possible after body weight loss.