Influence of the oxygen delivery system on the quality of life of patients with chronic hypoxemia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the health-related quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) at home through oxygen cylinders and compare these results with those obtained six months after the transition from oxygen cylinders to oxygen concentrators.


METHODS
A total of 45 patients were evaluated. Of those, 24 had chronic hypoxemia and 21 presented no evidence of hypoxemia. The patients with chronic hypoxemia had been regularly receiving LTOT for at least the last six months and were evaluated at baseline, while using cylinders, and six months after the transition from cylinders to concentrators. The non-hypoxemic patients were evaluated at the same time points as were the hypoxemic patients. In order to evaluate quality of life, a version of the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), translated and validated for use in Brazil, was administered.


RESULTS
At baseline, quality of life, as evaluated using the total score and the symptom and impact domain scores of the SGRQ, was more impaired in the hypoxemic patients than in the non-hypoxemic patients. After six months of using the concentrators, the hypoxemic patients presented a significant improvement in the quality of life, and, at that time, no difference was found between the patients with and without hypoxemia.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show that quality of life is impaired in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic hypoxemia, that their quality of life can be improved through regular use of LTOT, and that the oxygen delivery system has an influence on this improvement.
Tanni
Suzana Erico
SE
Pulmonology Division, Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, State University of São Paulo-Julio de Mesquita Filho School of Medicine of Botucatu, Botucatu, SP, Brasil. suzanapneumo@bol.com.br
Vale
Simone Alves
SA
Lopes
Paula S
PS
Guiotoko
Marcelo M
MM
Godoy
Ilda
I
Godoy
Irma
I
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000628:therapy*; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D010100:Oxygen