A wearable ventilator system led to fewer hospital visits for patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency, according to new data presented at the American College of Chest Physicians' annual meeting in Montreal. The study evaluated 16 oxygen-dependent patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who wore a non-invasive open ventilation (NIOV) system from Breathe Technologies Inc. (Irvine, Calif.) in addition to their standard medical care regimen. The NIOV is FDA cleared but is not covered by Medicare as a stand-alone therapy.