Home Care NetWork
Home Care Literature Reviews 2005
Home Oxygen:
Balfour-Lynn IM, Primhak RA, Shaw BN. Home oxygen for children: who, how and when? Thorax. 2005;60:76-81.
This nice review gives a very British slant on the special requirements of home oxygen therapy and children. The recommendations hold for practice in this country as well as Great Britain.
Guyatt GH, Nonoyama M, Lacchetti C, Goeree R, McKim D, Heels-Ansdell D, Goldstein R. A Randomized Trial of Strategies for Assessing Eligibility for Long-Term Domiciliary Oxygen Therapy. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005 May 18; [Epub ahead of print]
This Canadian randomized clinical trial compared the outcomes of applicants for home oxygen therapy when eligibility was determined by the home oxygen program (N=276) or an independent respiratory therapist who measured oxygen requirement that the time of referral and after two months of stable participation in the program (N=270). Oxygen use was lower in the independent program. There were no differences in clinical outcomes, quality-of-life, and overall mortality. The overall difference in cost favored the independent system ($309 versus $432). A follow-up assessment of oxygen use should be the standard practice. Experience shows, however, that this is often not done. This nice study emphasizes the importance of carefully monitoring patients on home oxygen to assure that there needs persist.
Lacasse Y, Lecours R, Pelletier C, Begin R, Maltais F. Randomised trial of ambulatory oxygen in oxygen-dependent COPD. Eur Respir J. 2005;25:1032-8.
This Canadian randomized controlled crossover study to evaluate the impact of continuous ambulatory oxygen on patient function and ability to participate in rehabilitation found no significant differences favoring the continuous use of ambulatory oxygen compared to home oxygen with a concentrator only or a home concentrator with "as needed" oxygen. This provocative study suggests that less is just as good as more in oxygen dependent patients with chronic respiratory failure
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