Monaldi archives for chest disease = Archivio Monaldi per le malattie del torace / Fondazione clinica del lavoro, IRCCS [and] Istituto di clinica tisiologica e malattie apparato respiratorio, Università di Napoli, Secondo ateneo
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Monaldi Arch Chest Dis · Jan 1995
ReviewPortable oxygen therapy with oxygen conserving devices and methodologies.
Oxygen therapy for the end-stage COPD patient should include a portable component. Accordingly, any system should be small and lightweight in order to enable the chronically debilitated patient to be as active and mobile as possible. Standard continuous flow oxygen via nasal cannulae is reliable and effective but it is also very wasteful. ⋯ They provide oxygen savings from 2:1 to 7:1 over continuous flow delivery. In addition to rendering the newer oxygen systems more portable, they can also reduce the cost of oxygen and its associated service. As patient requirements are highly individual, the wide choice of available methodologies permits the clinician to prescribe the system that best suits the needs of the patient.
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Completed when a person is capable, advance directives guide future health care decisions when the person has become incapable. Advance directives are based on the ethical principle of respect for auronomy, and are legally recognized in many jurisdictions. Although the advance directives currently available are generic, a disease-specific directive may be useful for people with COPD. In clinical practice, advance directives raise a number of challenging questions: With whom should the topic be raised? Should a proxy or instruction directive be used? What should be done if the patient changes his/her mind about treatment? How should people insure their advance directive is available when needed? A research for advance directives is outlined.