COPD
-
Severe chronic breathlessness in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is undertreated and few patients access specialist palliative care in the years before death. This study aimed to determine if symptom palliation or a palliative approach were delivered during the final hospital admission in which death occurred. Retrospective medical record audits were completed at two Australian hospitals, with all patients who died from COPD over 12 years between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2015 included. ⋯ Hospital site and year of admission were significantly associated with palliative care provision. Respiratory and general physicians provided a palliative approach to the majority of COPD patients during their terminal admission, however, few patients were referred to specialist palliative care. Similarly, there were missed opportunities to offer symptom palliation and a palliative approach in the years before death.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
The Efficacy and Safety of Once-daily Fluticasone Furoate/Umeclidinium/Vilanterol Versus Twice-daily Budesonide/Formoterol in a Subgroup of Patients from China with Symptomatic COPD at Risk of Exacerbations (FULFIL Trial).
The FULFIL study evaluated once-daily fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) 100 µg/62.5 µg/25 µg versus twice-daily budesonide/formoterol (BUD/FOR) 400 µg/12 µg in patients with symptomatic COPD at risk of exacerbations. FULFIL demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements at Week 24 in trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) Total scores and reduced exacerbation frequency. Predefined analyses were performed to evaluate treatment effects in a subgroup of patients recruited in China (China subgroup; FF/UMEC/VI, n = 32; BUD/FOR, n = 29). ⋯ Fewer moderate/severe exacerbations occurred with FF/UMEC/VI than BUD/FOR (16% and 28%, respectively). The overall incidence of adverse events was similar between arms (FF/UMEC/VI: 38%; BUD/FOR: 31%). This prespecified subgroup analysis of patients recruited in China to FULFIL demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety to that observed in the non-China and in the overall ITT populations, for FF/UMEC/VI versus BUD/FOR.
-
Domiciliary noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) is used for treating patients with hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to evaluate the association between adherence to the treatment and subsequent hospitalizations and costs. Data from 54 (27 adherent; 27 non-adherent) patients with COPD who were undergoing NIMV treatment at home for 6 months. ⋯ The most frequent reasons for not using NIMV in the treatment-non-adherent group were a decreased need, dry mouth, mask incompatibility, and gastrointestinal complaints. Adherence to NIMV treatment decreases the subsequent hospitalizations rates and noncompliance leads to complications. Findings of this study may help physicians in convincing patients diagnosed with COPD of the need for correct NIMV use to prevent hospitalizations and reduce the costs of COPD treatment.
-
Oxygen uptake slow component ([Formula: see text]sc) is associated with lactate accumulation, likely a contribution of poorly oxidative muscle fibers. We aimed to test the hypothesis that higher muscle tension during slow pedaling rates would yield more prominent [Formula: see text]sc in healthy subjects, but not in COPD patients. Eight severe COPD patients and 8 age-matched healthy individuals performed 4 rest-heavy exercise transitions at 40 and 80 RPM. ⋯ End-exercise lactate concentration did not differ between cadences in either group. In healthy individuals, greater slow-cadence [Formula: see text]sc seems likely related to oxidative muscle fiber recruitment at higher muscular tension. COPD patients, known to have fast-twitch fiber predominance, might be unable to recruit oxidative fibers at high muscle tension, blunting [Formula: see text]sc response.
-
Observational Study
Postoperative outcomes of frequent exacerbator patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease after resection of Non-Small Cells Lung Cancer.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor of post-operative complications after lung cancer resection. The influence of the "frequent exacerbator (FE)" phenotype (at least three exacerbations per year) is unknown. Postoperative outcomes of frequent exacerbators (POFE) was a prospective observational study of patients with COPD undergoing lung resection for cancer. ⋯ In all patients, multivariate logistic regression identified two independent factors of postoperative respiratory complications: male sex (OR 10.6 [95% CI 1.97-57.6], p = 0.006) and the FE phenotype (OR 6.33 [1.04-38.39], p = 0.045). Occurrence of postoperative complications in patients with COPD is high. FE phenotype is an independent risk factor.