Portable oxygen therapy: assessment and usage.
SH Lock; EA Paul; RM Rudd; JA Wedzicha.
Respiratory Medicine
1991 Sep, 85(5):407-12.
(UI: 92100900)
Abstract:
Fifty portable oxygen assessments, based on 6-min walking tests, were
reviewed to produce guidelines for assessment and prescription of
portable oxygen, and to evaluate factors predicting benefit. Patients
with a portable cylinder were questioned about benefits/difficulties
and usage of portable oxygen. A significant improvement on the oxygen
compared to the air walk was found (median 9.7%) which correlated with
the oxygen desaturation on the baseline walk (r = 0.51, P less than
0.05). A placebo effect was demonstrated using an air cylinder
(median improvement 6.1%). There was no correlation between
improvement in walking distance and decrease in visual analogue scale
(VAS) score of breathlessness. We recommend standard portable oxygen
assessments based on a series of 6-min walks. Improvements of 10% in
walking distance or VAS score from the oxygen to the air walk would
lead to the patient being offered a portable oxygen cylinder.
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