Long-term oxygen brought no benefits for moderate hypoxemia in COPD
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In patients with COPD with exertional hypoxemia, long-term supplemental oxygen did not improve survival or quality of life in a multicenter randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The NIH-funded study calls into question the current practice of routinely treating moderately hypoxemic COPD patients with supplemental oxygen, and the billions spent for it yearly by Medicare and private insurers. Long-term oxygen is known to help people live longer and feel better when their oxygen levels are very low at rest. Supplemental oxygen has typically also been provided to the far larger group of people with normal resting oxygen levels that fall during exertion, but any benefits of this have never been established.
Long-term oxygen brought no benefits for moderate hypoxemia in COPD
Long-term oxygen brought no benefits for…
Long-term oxygen brought no benefits for moderate hypoxemia in COPD
In patients with COPD with exertional hypoxemia, long-term supplemental oxygen did not improve survival or quality of life in a multicenter randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The NIH-funded study calls into question the current practice of routinely treating moderately hypoxemic COPD patients with supplemental oxygen, and the billions spent for it yearly by Medicare and private insurers. Long-term oxygen is known to help people live longer and feel better when their oxygen levels are very low at rest. Supplemental oxygen has typically also been provided to the far larger group of people with normal resting oxygen levels that fall during exertion, but any benefits of this have never been established.