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COPD Patients and You
Life with chronic obstructive pulmo- nary disease can be difficult. People with COPD often find everyday tasks burdensome, and participating in activities a challenge. These limitations often discourage patients and can lead to inactivity, depression and a reduced quality of life. In fact, there is
a high prevalence of anxiety and depression among COPD patients.1
As a home medical equipment provider, you are in a unique position to help these patients address and overcome the burden of COPD.
Many of the COPD patients that you see are in the latter stages of their disease, typically GOLD stage 3 or 4. This means their symp- toms are more severe, often requiring oxygen or other medical assistance to help ease the burden of daily living.
Oxygen patients
Physicians can prescribe oxygen as a treat- ment option to help maintain oxygen saturation levels in the blood and help patients’ activity levels. Supplemental oxygen can help COPD patients exercise at higher intensity2 and we know the more active a person can be, the healthier that person can be.
But oxygen tanks can be bulky and difficult to lug around, and stationary machines only provide treatment in the home because they are too heavy to move. For a COPD patient who already has significant challenges, these solu- tions don’t encourage activity.
Enter: portable oxygen concentrators (POCs).
POCs are light enough for COPD patients to comfortably carry and ResMed’s POC, MobiTM, provides the ideal balance of oxygen, weight and a long battery life to give patients the reas- surance they need while out and about.
Despite the known benefits, many patients who could benefit from the use of a POC aren’t
prescribed a POC. Why?
Unintentionally, it is often because of how
the prescription is written.
Oxygen is usually prescribed in terms of
liters per minute. This is suitable for liquid oxygen that is delivered via a stationary tank or other device that provides constant, continuous flow of oxygen. It does not necessarily translate to use of POCs.
Most POCs deliver oxygen in pulse doses instead.
With pulse dose devices, oxygen flow set- tings are calibrated in milliliters per breath so oxygen can be delivered only during a breath as opposed to continuously like in tanks or continuous flow devices. The amount delivered per breath is known as a bolus and each setting on a POC delivers a fixed bolus volume to the patient. So no matter what the patient’s breath rate, the POC will deliver the same size bolus each breath.
The total number of milliliters provided per minute is called the minute volume. The fixed minute volume establishes a predeter- mined volume of oxygen that will be pro- duced over the course of a minute for each setting on a POC.
In this way, oxygen is provided in a manner
that is consistent with the patient’s breathing and oxygen is not wasted. Because POCs work to filter nitrogen out of existing air to deliver oxygen to the patient, it allows the device to be smaller and helps support patient mobility. This means the patient is more likely to use the device and obtain more effective treatment while remaining mobile.
Because POCs deliver oxygen in a signifi- cantly different manner than continuous de- vices, it is important for HMEs to titrate patients on a POC before sending them home.
As an HME, you are ideally suited to change the lives of patients one breath at a time. By recognizing the benefits of portable oxygen, titrating patients and educating your referral base, you can help oxygen patients get the best care. n
www.ResMed.com/Mobi
1 Kunik, et al. Surprisingly high prevalence of anxiety and depression in chronic breathing disorders. CHEST 2005 Apr, 127 (4); 1205-11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/15821196
2 Emtner M, et al. Benefits of Supplemental Oxygen in Exercise Training in Nonhypoxemic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients. AJRCCM 2003 Nov, 168 (9); 1034-42 https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ rccm.200212-1525OC
*Consult a physician before starting any exercise program
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