Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on home mechanical ventilation in Germany

<bold>Background:</bold> The last decade has witnessed a significant increase in patients recieving home mechanical ventilation (HMV), leading to an inadequate healthcare infrastructure. This has been aggravated by the fact that specialized ventilation and weaning wards are increasingly being used for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and acute respiratory failure. <bold>Methods:</bold> The Operation and Procedure Classification Codes (OPS) for HMV in inpatient care were analysed from 2008 to 2022 based on data from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany. <bold>Results:</bold> 737,770 data sets were analysed (mean age 2020 66.5 years). The trend in patient admissions during the pandemic revealed a 28% decrease, with the largest decrease in invasive ventilation (IV) control visits (3,053 in 2019 vs. 2,199 in 2020; -39%), while the number of IV initiations remained stable. There was a 19% decrease in the number of non-invasive ventilation initiations (16,919 vs. 14,227) and a 32% decrease in the number of controls (45,812 vs. 34,813) in comparison to 2019. Discussion: The pandemic has led to a significant decline in the number of inpatient admissions for patients recieving HMV. This decline was most pronounced in the first year of the pandemic. Control visits in particular did not reach the pre-pandemic level. Resilient structures must be developed for HMV patients that integrate outpatient and inpatient treatment strategies. <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA2196/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>