COPD · Long-term oxygen therapy
Long-Term Oxygen Therapy for 24 or 15 Hours per Day in Severe Hypoxemia
| Design | Registry-based randomised non-superiority trial |
|---|---|
| Treatment | Long-term oxygen therapy for 24 hours per day |
| Control | Long-term oxygen therapy for 15 hours per day |
| Population | 241 patients with severe hypoxaemia |
| Follow-up | 1 year |
| Primary endpoint | Hospitalisation or death within one year |
| Result | Median reported use was 24.0 hours versus 15.0 hours per day. Event rates were 124.7 and 124.5 per 100 person-years (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.36; p=0.007 for nonsuperiority). No substantial differences in all-cause hospitalisation, death, or adverse events. No patient was lost to follow-up. |
Among patients with severe hypoxemia, long-term oxygen therapy used for 24 hours per day did not result in a lower risk of hospitalization or death within 1 year than therapy for 15 hours per day.
The trial authors, in the published abstract
Directly tests the assumption inherited from NOTT that more oxygen is better, and finds it wanting. Fifteen hours is enough, which matters a great deal to patients tethered to a concentrator.
Ekström M, Andersson A, Papadopoulos S, et al. Long-Term Oxygen Therapy for 24 or 15 Hours per Day in Severe Hypoxemia. N Engl J Med 2024 Sep 19;391(11):977-988.