ORIGINAL ARTICLE   Open access

Minerva Respiratory Medicine 2022 December;61(4):176-80

DOI: 10.23736/S2784-8477.22.02022-8

Copyright © 2022 THE AUTHORS

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language: English

Effectiveness of triple inhaled therapy in COPD patients: a retrospective analysis of chest tomography and correlation with clinical outcomes

Maurizio M. CIAMMAICHELLA ¹, Cristina RIGA ¹, Alessandra ULISSI ¹, Alessandra DE ANGELIS ¹, Rosario COSTORELLA ², Maria S. MAGNONI ² ✉, Donato CINQUEPALMI ², Silvana P. PIRILLO ³, Luca DI REZZE ³

¹ High Intensive Care Internal Medicine, S. Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital, Rome, Italy; ² GSK Medical Department, Verona, Italy; ³ Unit of Imaging Diagnostics, S. Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital, Rome, Italy

BACKGROUND: The triple inhaled therapy consisting of an inhaled corticosteroid, a long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonist and a long-acting β2-adrenergic agonist represents an important advance in the treatment of patients with COPD complaining of dyspnea and experiencing frequent or severe disease exacerbations despite maintenance therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of triple inhaled therapy on clinical and radiologic outcomes in in a real-life setting.
METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis that included 30 subjects with COPD hospitalized for a severe disease exacerbation. All patients were administered triple therapy with once daily fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) 92/55/22 μg and followed for 52 weeks after discharge.
RESULTS: On HRCT scanning, a significant reduction in the areas of ground glass opacity as well as in in septal thickening and bronchiolar walls was observed after FF/UMEC/VI treatment as compared to baseline.
CONCLUSIONS: The results provide the first evidence that, in a routine care setting and real-life COPD patients, single-inhaler triple therapy results in a significant reduction of lung inflammation, as reflected by HRCT findings, associated with clinical improvements.

KEY WORDS: Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Pneumonia; Tomography, X-ray computed