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Evidence summaries

Symptomatic Oxygen for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Oxygen may slightly relieve dyspnoea in mildly and non-hypoxaemic people with COPD who would not otherwise qualify for home oxygen therapy. Level of evidence: "C"

The quality of evidence is downgraded by limitations in study quality (inadequate or unclear allocation concealment) and byinconsistency (variability in results across studies, heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes).

Summary

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 on the efficacy of oxygen versus medical air for relief of subjective dyspnoea in non-hypoxaemic people with COPD included 44 studies with a total of 1 105 subjects. 33 trials (901 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. Oxygen slightly reduced dyspnoea and breathlessness measured during exercise tests (table T1). Oxygen did not affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Oxygen for breathlessness in nonhypoxemic patients with COPD compared with air

OutcomeDifference(95% CI)No of participants (studies)Comment: Correspondance on a 1 - 10 scale
BreathlessnessSMD 0.31, SD lower(0.43 lower to 0.2 lower)865(32)0.65 points lower (0.90 lower to 0.42 lower)
Breathlessness - subgroup analysis - during exercise testSMD 0.34, SD lower(0.46 lower to 0.22 lower)591(30)0.71 points lower (0.97 lower to 0.46 lower)
Health-related quality of lifeSMD 0.12, SD higher(0.04 lower to 0.28 higher)267(5)0.25 points higher (0.09 lower to 0.59 higher)

Clinical comment

Given the significant heterogeneity among the included studies, clinicians should continue to evaluate patients on an individual basis until supporting data from ongoing, large randomised controlled trials are available.

Note

Date of latest search: 12 July 2016

References

  • Ekström M, Ahmadi Z, Bornefalk-Hermansson A et al. Oxygen for breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who do not qualify for home oxygen therapy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016;11():CD006429. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords