A nationwide structure for valid long-term oxygen therapy: 29-year prospective data in Sweden

Smoking and home oxygen therapy: a review and consensus statement from a multidisciplinary Swedish taskforce

BACKGROUND

Home oxygen therapy (HOT) improves survival in patients with hypoxaemic chronic respiratory disease. Most patients evaluated for HOT are former or active smokers. Oxygen accelerates combustion and smoking may increase the risk of burn injuries and fire hazards; therefore, it is considered a contraindication for HOT in many countries. However, there is variability in the practices and policies regarding this matter. This multidisciplinary Swedish taskforce aimed to review the potential benefits and risks of smoking in relation to HOT, including medical, practical, legal and ethical considerations.

METHODS

The taskforce of the Swedish Respiratory Society comprises 15 members across respiratory medicine, nursing, medical law and ethics. HOT effectiveness and adverse risks related to smoking, as well as practical, legal and ethical considerations, were reviewed, resulting in five general questions and four PICO (population-intervention-comparator-outcome) questions. The strength of each recommendation was rated according to the GRADE (grading of recommendation assessment, development and evaluation) methodology.

RESULTS

General questions about the practical, legal and ethical aspects of HOT were discussed and summarised in the document. The PICO questions resulted in recommendations about assessment, management and follow-up of smoking when considering HOT, if HOT should be offered to people that meet the eligibility criteria but who continue to smoke, if a specific length of time of smoking cessation should be considered before assessing eligibility for HOT, and identification of areas for further research.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple factors need to be considered in the benefit/risk evaluation of HOT in active smokers. A systematic approach is suggested to guide healthcare professionals in evaluating HOT in relation to smoking.

Prognosis after Intensive Care for COPD Exacerbation in Relation to Long-Term Oxygen Therapy: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Decisions to admit or refuse admission to intensive care for acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) can be difficult, due to an uncertainty about prognosis. Few studies have evaluated outcomes after intensive care for AECOPD in patients with chronic respiratory failure requiring long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). In this nationwide observational cohort study, we investigated survival after first-time admission for AECOPD in all patients aged ≥40 years admitted to Swedish intensive care units between January 2008 and December 2015, comparing patients with and without LTOT. Among the 4,648 patients enrolled in the study, 450 were on LTOT prior to inclusion. Respiratory support data was available for 2,631 patients; 73% of these were treated with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) only, 17% were treated with immediate invasive ventilation, and 10% were intubated after failed attempt with NIV. Compared to patients without LTOT, patients with LTOT had higher 30-day mortality (38% vs. 25%; p < 0.001) and one-year mortality (70% vs. 43%; p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic and Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex and SAPS3 score confirmed higher mortality in LTOT, odds ratio for 30-day mortality was 1.8 ([95% confidence interval] 1.5-2.3) and hazard ratio for one-year mortality was 1.8 (1.6-2.0). In summary, although need for LTOT is a negative prognostic marker for survival after AECOPD requiring intensive care, a majority of patients with LTOT survived the AECOPD and 30% were alive after one year.

Risk and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with oxygen-dependent chronic respiratory failure- a national cohort study

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate cumulative occurrence and impact of COVID-19 in patients with chronic respiratory failure (CRF) treated with long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data were obtained from the SCIFI-PEARL study on the entire Swedish population and on patients with oxygen-dependent CRF and no COVID-19 diagnosis before start of LTOT. Analyses were performed for three time periods; pre-alpha (Jan-Dec 2020), alpha (Jan-Mar 2021) and delta/omicron (Apr 2021-May 2022). Cumulative incidence of laboratory-verified COVID-19 was compared between patients with CRF and the general population. Risk factors for severe (hospitalised) to critical (intensive care, or death ≤30 days after infection) COVID-19, and the impact of COVID-19 on one-year mortality, were analysed using multivariable Cox regression.

RESULTS

Cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was higher in patients with CRF than in the general population during the pre-alpha period (6.4%/4.9%, p = 0.002), but less common during the alpha and delta/omicron periods (2.9%/3.8% and 7.8%/15.5%, p < 0.0001 for both). The risk of severe/critical COVID-19 was much higher in CRF patients during all periods (4.9%/0.5%, 3.8%/0.2% and 15.5%/0.5%, p < 0.0001 for all). Risk factors for COVID-19 infection in people with CRF were higher age, cardiovascular and renal disease, and COVID-19 was associated with increased one-year mortality following infection in the pre-alpha (HR 1.79; [95% CI] 1.27-2.53) and alpha periods (1.43; 1.03-1.99).

CONCLUSION

Patients with CRF had higher risk of severe/critical COVID-19 than the general population. COVID-19 infection was associated with excess one-year mortality.

Thoughts on the end of life in patients with oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A qualitative interview study

AIM

The aim of the study was to deepen the current knowledge of how patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and long-term oxygen treatment think about and expect end-of-life.

DESIGN

A qualitative design was used.

METHODS

A purposeful sample of 19 patients with oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was obtained from the Swedish National Registry on Respiratory Failure (Swedevox). Data was collected with semi-structured interviews and analysed using a hermeneutic approach.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed three themes: Living in the present without a future; difficulty talking about the uncertainty; and feeling anxious about leaving family behind. Participants indicated that healthcare professionals should invite them to mutual discussions as it was easier to reject an invitation if they could not talk right then, than to initiate a discussion themselves. Start of home oxygen or a deteriorating health status may be an important time to clinically address existential and end-of-life issues.

Adverse Effects, Smoking, Alcohol Consumption and Quality of Life During Long-Term Oxygen Therapy: A Nationwide Study

Rationale

Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is prescribed for at least 15 hours per day and often used by patients for several years, but knowledge is limited regarding adverse effects, risk exposures, and health-related quality of life (HrQoL) among those treated.

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of adverse effects, smoking, and alcohol consumption and their relations to HrQoL among patients treated with LTOT.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional survey of a randomized sample of adults with ongoing LTOT in the Swedish National Registry for Respiratory Failure (Swedevox). Patient characteristics and the prevalence of 26 prespecified adverse effects, smoking, and alcohol consumption, were compared between respondents with better and worse HrQoL on the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test.

Results

A total of 151 respondents were included (mean age, 74.7 yr [standard deviation, 8.6 yr]; 58.9% women; median LTOT duration, 2.2 yr [interquartile range, 1.0–3.8 yr]). Characteristics upon starting LTOT were similar between respondents and nonrespondents. Active smoking was very rare (n = 4, 2.6%). For alcohol use, 67.2% of participants reported no consumption during an average week, whereas risk use was reported by 25.8% of men and 16.9% of women. The most prevalent adverse effects were reduced mobility or physical activity (70.9%), dry mouth (69.5%), congestion or nasal drip (61.6%), increased tiredness (57.0%), and dry nose (53.0%). Patients with higher numbers of total and systemic adverse effects experienced worse HrQoL, whereas no associations were found for smoking status or alcohol consumption. The majority (54.8%) of adverse effects were untreated and unreported to health professionals.

Conclusions

Adverse effects are common among patients with LTOT and are associated with worse HrQoL. As the majority of adverse effects had not been discussed or treated, structured assessment and management of risk exposures and adverse effects is warranted.

Impact of covid-19 on long-term oxygen therapy 2020: A nationwide study in Sweden

Introduction

Covid-19 can cause chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, but the impact on the need for long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is unknown. The aim was to investigate change in incidence and characteristics of patients starting LTOT in Sweden 2020 after the outbreak of the pandemic.

Material and methods

Population-based observational study using data from the National Registry for Respiratory Failure (Swedevox) and from a survey to all centres prescribing LTOT in Sweden. Swedevox data provided information on incidence of LTOT and characteristics of patients starting LTOT during 2015–2020.

Results

Between March-Dec 2020, 131 patients started LTOT due to covid-19, corresponding to 20.5% of incident LTOT in Sweden. Compared with 2015–19, the total number of patients starting LTOT did not increase. No significant differences in patient characteristics or underlying causes of hypoxemia were found between patients starting LTOT during 2020 compared 2015–2019. The majority of the LTOT centres estimated that, since the start of the pandemic, the incidence of LTOT was unchanged and the time devoted for LTOT work was the same or slightly less.

Conclusions

Covid-19 caused one fifth of all LTOT starts during the pandemic in 2020. The LTOT incidence overall did not increase possibly due to reduction in other infections.

Long-term oxygen therapy prescription in India: Evaluation of compliance, factors affecting compliance, indications, and survival

Introduction:

The international data shows that long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) compliance is insufficient and variable. We conducted the first study from India on LTOT compliance, factors affecting compliance, indications, and survival through oxygen concentrator.

Materials and Methods:

Our organization from Delhi had given 378 oxygen concentrators over the last 5 years. We evaluated 120 patients randomly for participating in the study. Compliance was defined as the use of LTOT for at least 15 h/day.

Results:

Ninety-seven patients were included in the final analysis after exclusion criteria. The compliance to LTOT was seen in 45.36% (44/97). The commonest cause of noncompliance was lack of instructions (49.06%) followed by electricity issues, social stigma, and workplace constraints. A higher PaCO₂ was associated with significantly lower compliance (PaCO₂ 53.18 vs. 44.98 mmHg, P = 0.036). Interstitial lung disease was associated with significantly higher compliance. Oxygen prescription was titrated with arterial blood gas analysis in only 4.12%. The indications for LTOT were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (49.48%), posttuberculous obstructive airway disease (20.6%), and interstitial lung disease (12.37%). We found a significant reduction in the mean number of exacerbations/year from 3.91 to 1.93 (P < 0.0001). 61.86% of the patients were surviving on LTOT with a median survival time of 12 months.

Conclusion:

The adherence to LTOT in Indian patients is suboptimal mainly due to lack of instruction and is associated with a higher PaCO₂. The practice of titration needs to be followed. The development of a national registry to monitor LTOT should be the long-term target.

Feasibility of completing Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile and Dyspnea-12 over the telephone in patients with oxygen-dependent disease

Background

Breathlessness is prevalent in severe disease and consists of different dimensions that can be measured using the Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile (MDP) and Dyspnea-12 (D-12). We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of MDP and D-12 over telephone interviews in oxygen-dependent patients, compared with other patient-reported outcomes (modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT)) and with completion by hand.

Methods

Cross-sectional, telephone study of 50 patients with home oxygen therapy. Feasibility was assessed as completion time (self-reported by patients and measured), difficulty (self-reported) and help required to complete the instruments (staff). Completion time was compared with mMRC and CAT, and feasibility was compared with completion by hand in cardiopulmonary outpatients (n=182). Feasibility by age and gender was analysed using logistic regression.

Results

Of 136 patients approached, 50 (37%) participated (mean age: 72±10 years, 66% women). Completion times (in minutes) were relatively short for MDP (self-reported 6 (IQR 5–10), measured 8 (IQR 6–10)) and D-12 (self-reported 5 (IQR 3–8), measured 3 (IQR 3–4)), and slightly longer than mMRC (median 1 (IQR 1–1)) and CAT (median 3 (IQR 2–5)). Even though the majority of patients required no help, more assistance was required by older patients. Compared with patients reporting by hand, completion over the telephone required somewhat longer time and more assistance.

Conclusion

Many patients with severe oxygen-dependent disease were unable or unwilling to assess symptoms over the telephone. However, among those able to participate, MDP and D-12 are feasible to measure multiple dimensions of breathlessness over the telephone.

Hypoxemia severity and survival in ILD and COPD on long-term oxygen therapy - The population-based DISCOVERY study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Whether long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) improves survival in interstitial lung disease (ILD) is unclear. A recent study reported similar survival in ILD patients with severe hypoxemia on LTOT vs. moderate hypoxemia without LTOT, and proposed that LTOT could be indicated in ILD already at moderate hypoxemia. The aim of this study was to compare survival by severity of hypoxemia in patients with ILD and COPD, respectively, treated with LTOT.

METHODS

A population-based, longitudinal study of adults starting LTOT for ILD or COPD 1987-2018. Transplant-free survival was compared between moderate (PaO2 7.4-8.7 kPa) and severe (PaO2<7.4 kPa) hypoxemia using Cox regression, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status, WHO performance status, year of starting LTOT, diagnosis of heart failure, ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus.

RESULTS

In total, 17,084 patients were included, with ILD and moderate (n = 470) or severe hypoxemia (n = 2,408), and COPD with moderate (n = 2,087) or severe hypoxemia (n = 12,119). Compared with in COPD, ILD patients on LTOT had lower transplant-free survival after one year (41.9 vs. 67.1%) and two years (20.3 vs. 46.5%). In COPD worse hypoxemia was associated with slightly increased risk of death/lung transplantation, aHR 1.07 (1.00-1.14), a difference not shown in ILD, aHR 0.91 (0.80-1.03).

CONCLUSION

Transplant-free survival did not differ in ILD patients between moderate and severe hypoxia despite LTOT.

[Oxygen Therapy in Lung Transplantation Candidates - A Single Center Retrospective Analysis of 807 Patients]

BACKGROUND

 Long-term oxygen treatment (LTOT) is frequently used in patients with advanced pulmonary diseases and respiratory failure. Oxygen treatment influences donor lung allocation for patients and is associated with increased mortality. This study investigates oxygen therapy in lung transplantation candidates.

METHODS

 A retrospective study at a large German transplantation centre between 09/2011 and 01/2019 was performed. Data regarding oxygen therapy was analyzed and LTOT-indication verified by titrated blood gas analysis. The study period splits into 2 periods before and after the introduction of oxygen titration (3rd quarter of 2015). Univariate and multivariate analysis for the endpoint "admission to waiting list" was performed.

RESULTS

 807 patients were included in the analysis, 396 in the first and 411 patients in the second period. Of those 293 patients (36.3 %) were transplanted. Six hundred thirty (78 %) patients stated using oxygen for more than 12 hours per day. After implementing oxygen titration in period 2, in 212 (57 %) of 372 patients LTOT indication could be confirmed. Titrated oxygen flow was lower in period 2 (0.5 l/min [IQR 0.0 - 2.0] versus 2 l/min [IQR 0.5 - 3.0]). In multivariate analysis oxygen flow was associated with admission to waiting list as an independent variable.

CONCLUSION

 Patients referred to lung transplantation use oxygen therapy in the vast majority. Indication for LTOT should be carefully reassessed in candidates. Confirmed LTOT-indication seems to be associated with the likelihood for admission to the waiting list for lung transplantation and could therefore be a selection criterium in the future.

Indications and patterns of use of benzodiazepines and opioids in severe interstitial lung disease: a population-based longitudinal study

Background

Despite evidence that opioids might relieve chronic breathlessness, physicians may still be reluctant to prescribe them due to safety concerns. By contrast, benzodiazepine (BDZ) prescribing often seeks to reduce chronic breathlessness despite no evidence of net benefit. Prescribing patterns and indications for these medications in severe interstitial lung disease (ILD) are unknown. Here, our objective was to evaluate the indications, medications and temporal patterns of BDZ and opioid prescriptions in people with oxygen-dependent ILD.

Methods

This was an observational, population-based, longitudinal study of adults starting long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) for ILD between 2005 and 2014 in the Swedish National Registry for Respiratory Failure (Swedevox). People dispensed BDZs (n=2000) and opioids (n=2000) from 6 months before start of LTOT throughout follow-up (first of death or study end) were analysed.

Results

Of 1635 included patients, 651 (39.8%) received BDZs and 710 (43.4%) received opioids during the study period; 373 (22.8%) patients received both. The most frequently prescribed BDZs and opioids were oxazepam (85.6%) and oxycodone (28.7%), respectively. Indications for breathlessness were uncommon for BDZs (1.4%) and opioids (6.4%). During the last year of life, opioid indications for breathlessness increased from 2.5% (12-10 months before death) to 10.2% in the last 3 months of life (p=0.048).

Conclusions

In oxygen-dependent ILD, opioids are rarely prescribed for breathlessness even in the last months of life, when chronic breathlessness often increases in prevalence and intensity.

Validation of the Swedevox registry of continuous positive airway pressure, long-term mechanical ventilator and long-term oxygen therapy

Background

The Swedish Registry of Respiratory Failure (Swedevox) collects nationwide data on patients starting continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, long-term mechanical ventilator (LTMV) and long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). We validated key information in Swedevox against source data from medical records.

Methods

This was a retrospective validation study of patients starting CPAP (n=175), LTMV (n=177) or LTOT (n=175) across seven centres 2013–2017. Agreement with medical record data was analysed using differences in means (sd) and proportion (%) of a selection of clinically relevant variables. Variables of interest included for CPAP: apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI), height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score; for LTMV: date of blood gas, arterial carbon dioxide tension (P_aCO2) (breathing air), weight and diagnosis group; and for LTOT: blood gases breathing air and oxygen, spirometry and main diagnosis.

Results

Data on CPAP and LTOT had very high validity across all evaluated variables (all <5% discrepancy). For LTMV, variability was higher against source information for P_aCO2 (>0.5 kPa in 25.9%), weight (>5 kg in 47.5%) and diagnosis group. Inconsistency was higher for patients starting LTMV acutely versus electively (P_aCO2 difference >0.5 kPa in 36% versus 21%, p<0.05, respectively). However, there were no signs of systematic bias (mean differences close to zero) across the evaluated variables.

Conclusion

Validity of Swedevox data, compared with medical records, was very high for CPAP, LTMV and LTOT. The large sample size and lack of systematic differences support that Swedevox data are valid for healthcare quality assessment and research.

The National Swedish Registry for Respiratory Failure (Swedevox) of CPAP, long-term mechanical ventilator and long-term oxygen has high validity compared with medical records, and is suitable for follow-up of medical care and for clinical researchhttps://bit.ly/31ACMY6

Course of DISease In patients reported to the Swedish CPAP Oxygen and VEntilator RegistrY (DISCOVERY) with population-based controls

PURPOSE

Chronic hypoxic and hypercapnic respiratory failure and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are chronic diseases associated with decreased quality of life and increased mortality. The rationale behind the set up the retrospective nationwide DISCOVERY cohort was to study several questions including disease course and risk factors for incident disease, impaired quality of life, hospitalisation risk and mortality in patients with chronic respiratory failure with long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), long-term mechanical ventilation (LTMV) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) on treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS

Data from the national quality registry for respiratory insufficiency and sleep apnoea (Swedevox) and a population-based control group from Statistics Sweden were merged with governmental registries, the Swedish Cancer Registry, the Swedish Cause of Death Registry, the Swedish Drug registry, the Swedish National Patient Registry and the Swedish Dental Health Registry and with national quality registries for diabetes, rheumatic diseases (Swedish Rheumatology Quality Registry), stroke (RiksStroke), heart failure (RiksSvikt), acute heart infarction care (SwedeHeart) and intensive care (SIR) and with socioeconomic data from Statistics Sweden (SCB).

FINDINGS TO DATE

The cohort comprises 25 804 unique patients with LTOT since 1987 (54.1% females, age 73.3±9.8 years, body mass index (BMI) 26.6±6.5 kg/m2), 8111 with LTMV since 1996 (48.6% women, age 60.6±16.9 years, BMI 32.9±10.8 kg/m2), 65 809 with OSA on CPAP since 2010 (29.5% women, age 57.2±12.5 years, BMI 31.9±6.2 kg/m2) and 145 224 persons in a population-based control group from same time span up to March 2018 (51.7% women, age 49.9±20.4 year, BMI 24.9±4.0 years).

FUTURE PLANS

In patients with chronic respiratory failure and sleep apnoea important questions regarding comorbidity burden, hospitalisation rate, mortality and treatment outcomes are still unexplored to a large extent. The DISCOVERY cohort will provide unique opportunities by its size and comprehensiveness to fill this clinically relevant gap of knowledge.

Home Oxygen Therapy for Adults with Chronic Lung Disease. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline

Background: Evidence-based guidelines are needed for effective delivery of home oxygen therapy to appropriate patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD).Methods: The multidisciplinary panel created six research questions using a modified Delphi approach. A systematic review of the literature was completed, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to formulate clinical recommendations.Recommendations: The panel found varying quality and availability of evidence and made the following judgments: 1) strong recommendations for long-term oxygen use in patients with COPD (moderate-quality evidence) or ILD (low-quality evidence) with severe chronic resting hypoxemia, 2) a conditional recommendation against long-term oxygen use in patients with COPD with moderate chronic resting hypoxemia, 3) conditional recommendations for ambulatory oxygen use in patients with COPD (moderate-quality evidence) or ILD (low-quality evidence) with severe exertional hypoxemia, 4) a conditional recommendation for ambulatory liquid-oxygen use in patients who are mobile outside the home and require >3 L/min of continuous-flow oxygen during exertion (very-low-quality evidence), and 5) a recommendation that patients and their caregivers receive education on oxygen equipment and safety (best-practice statement).Conclusions: These guidelines provide the basis for evidence-based use of home oxygen therapy in adults with COPD or ILD but also highlight the need for additional research to guide clinical practice.

Current Situation of Home Oxygen Therapy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in Korea

BACKGROUND

Long-term oxygen therapy provides various benefits, including prolonged survival for severely hypoxic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, adequate management strategies for home oxygen therapy are not well established in Korea. This study aimed to explore the current situation of home oxygen therapy to provide basic data for developing a strategy for COPD patients on home oxygen therapy.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled COPD patients using home oxygen therapy for at least 1 month. Face-to-face interviews were conducted, guided by a structured questionnaire about home oxygen therapy.

RESULTS

A total of 195 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 72.6 ± 9.7 years, and 76.4% of patients were men. The mean modified Medical Research Council, COPD Assessment Test, and EuroQol-5D index scores were 3.4 ± 0.8, 29.7 ± 6.8, and 0.35 ± 0.44, respectively. At rest, patients were prescribed oxygen for 12.5 ± 7.3 hr/day and used 12.9 ± 8.5 hr/day on average. During exercise, the mean duration of prescribed oxygen was 6.6 ± 4.3 hr/day, and the actual use was 1.1 ± 2.9 hr/day. A total of 25.6% of patients used ambulatory oxygen; with financial burden the main reason for nonuse. The mean number of hospitalizations and emergency room visits were 2.5 and 2.6, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed low adherence to home oxygen therapy, poor health-related quality of life, frequent hospitalizations, and a high financial burden among COPD patients using home oxygen therapy. The study highlights the need for adequate strategies to improve the quality of home oxygen therapy.

Oxygen therapy in COPD and interstitial lung disease: navigating the knowns and unknowns

Domiciliary oxygen therapy is often prescribed for patients with hypoxaemia due to advanced lung disease, most commonly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) trials conducted in patients with COPD in the 1980s remain the basis for clinical decisions and guideline recommendations regarding LTOT for patients with non-COPD conditions as there is a lack of high-quality evidence concerning its use in the non-COPD population. There is also a lack of evidence for the use of ambulatory and nocturnal oxygen therapy in patients with isolated exertional and nocturnal hypoxaemia. These deficiencies pose significant challenges in patient care, with consequent discrepancies in guideline recommendations and clinical approaches. In recent years, new studies have been and are currently being conducted to fill the gaps in our understanding and use of domiciliary oxygen therapy for other indications, including ILD. This article provides a comparison of the epidemiology and significance of hypoxaemia in patients with COPD and ILD, with an up-to-date review of current evidence regarding the role of different types of domiciliary oxygen therapy in these conditions.

Despite the significance of hypoxaemia in patients with chronic lung diseases, an up-to-date review shows current evidence for clinical use of domiciliary oxygen therapy remains limitedhttp://bit.ly/33aW31n

Home Oxygen in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Two landmark trials conducted more than 35 years ago provided scientific evidence that, under very specific circumstances, long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) may prolong life. These two trials enrolled 290 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severe daytime hypoxemia documented by direct arterial blood gas measurement. From that time, LTOT became a standard of care, and the indications for oxygen therapy expanded to include nocturnal oxygen therapy for isolated nocturnal oxygen desaturation, ambulatory oxygen to correct exercise-induced desaturation, and short-burst oxygen to relieve dyspnea. In most cases, the rationale for broadening the indications for oxygen therapy is that, if hypoxemia exists, correcting it by increasing the Fi_O2 should help. However, with the exception of LTOT in severely hypoxemic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, randomized controlled trials of oxygen therapy have failed to demonstrate clinically significant benefits. Also, adherence to LTOT is usually suboptimal. Important areas for future research include improving understanding of the mechanisms of action of supplemental oxygen, the clinical and biochemical predictors of responsiveness to LTOT, the methods for measuring and enhancing adherence to LTOT, and the cost-effectiveness of oxygen therapy. A standardization of terminology to describe the use of supplemental oxygen at home is provided.

Patient registries for home oxygen research and evaluation

Randomized clinical trials are the preferred study design to address key research questions about the benefits or harms of interventions. However, randomized trials of oxygen therapy are difficult to conduct and have limitations. The purpose of this article is to offer our view on the potential use of patient registries in the field of home oxygen in COPD as an alternative to randomized trials by referring to the Swedish experience with a national registry for respiratory failure. Patient registries use observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure. As opposed to administrative databases, patient registries serve one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. By systematically and prospectively compiling relevant data, patient registries may describe the natural history of a disease, determine effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, assess safety or harm, and measure quality of care. Registry-based randomized trials (ie, randomized trials within a clinical registry) combine the advantages of a prospective randomized trial with the strengths of a large-scale all-comers clinical registry. Challenges and issues in the design and implementation of patient registries include the representativeness of participants, data collection, quality assurance, ownership, and governance. Notwithstanding their limitations, patient registries represent valuable tools in the conduct of research in the area of home oxygen therapy.

Patient Experience in Home Respiratory Therapies: Where We Are and Where to Go

The increasing number of patients receiving home respiratory therapy (HRT) is imposing a major impact on routine clinical care and healthcare system sustainability. The current challenge is to continue to guarantee access to HRT while maintaining the quality of care. The patient experience is a cornerstone of high-quality healthcare and an emergent area of clinical research. This review approaches the assessment of the patient experience in the context of HRT while highlighting the European contribution to this body of knowledge. This review demonstrates that research in this area is still limited, with no example of a prescription model that incorporates the patient experience as an outcome and no specific patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) available. This work also shows that Europe is leading the research on HRT provision. The development of a specific PREM and the integration of PREMs into the assessment of prescription models should be clinical research priorities in the next several years.

Safety of benzodiazepines and opioids in interstitial lung disease: a national prospective study

Safety concerns are a barrier to prescribing benzodiazepines (BDZs) and opioids in interstitial lung disease (ILD). We therefore examined the association of BDZs and opioids on risk of admission to hospital and death.

We conducted a population-based longitudinal cohort study of fibrotic ILD patients starting long-term oxygen therapy in Sweden between October 2005 and December 2014. Effects of BDZs and opioids on rates of admission to hospital and mortality were analysed using Fine–Gray and Cox regression while adjusting for potential confounders.

We included 1603 patients (61% females). BDZs were used by 196 (12%) patients and opioids were used by 254 (15%) patients. There was no association between BDZs and increased admission. Treatment with high- versus low-dose BDZs was associated with increased mortality (subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) 1.46, 95% CI 1.08–1.98 versus 1.13, 95% CI 0.92–1.38). Opioids showed no association with increased admission. Neither low-dose opioids (≤30 mg·day−1 oral morphine equivalent) (SHR 1.18, 95% CI 0.96–1.45) nor high-dose opioids (>30 mg·day−1 oral morphine equivalent) (SHR 1.11, 95% CI 0.89–1.39) showed association with increased mortality.

This first ever study to examine associations between BDZ and opioid use and harm in ILD supports the use of opioids and low-dose BDZs in severely ill patients with respiratory compromise.

Daily duration of long-term oxygen therapy and risk of hospitalization in oxygen-dependent COPD patients

Introduction

Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) improves survival and may reduce hospital admissions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe hypoxemia, but the impact of daily duration of LTOT on hospitalization rate is unknown. We aimed to estimate the association between the daily duration of LTOT (24 vs 15 h/d) and hospital admissions in patients with LTOT due to COPD.

Materials and methods

A population-based, cohort study included patients who started LTOT due to COPD between October 1, 2005 and June 30, 2009 in the Swedish national register for respiratory failure (Swedevox). Time to first hospitalization from all causes and from respiratory or nonrespiratory disease, using the National Patient Registry, was analyzed using Fine-Gray regression, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

A total of 2,249 patients with COPD (59% women) were included. LTOT 24 h/d was prescribed to 539 (24%) and LTOT 15-16 h/d to 1,231 (55%) patients. During a median follow-up of 1.1 years (interquartile range, 0.6-2.1 years), 1,702 (76%) patients were hospitalized. No patient was lost to follow-up. The adjusted rate of all-cause hospitalization was similar between LTOT 24 and 15-16 h/d (subdistribution hazard ratio [SHR] 0.96; [95% CI] 0.84-1.08), as was cause-specific hospitalizations analyzed for respiratory disease (SHR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.86-1.17) and nonrespiratory disease (SHR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.75-1.14).

Conclusion

LTOT prescribed for 24 h/d was not associated with decreased hospitalization rates compared with LTOT for 15-16 h/d in patients with oxygen-dependent COPD. The results should be validated in a randomized controlled trial.