chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Oxygen is one of the most widely used drugs. It is important to recognise that oxygen administration carries risks as well as benefits. While adequate oxygen saturation of arterial blood is an important factor in tissue oxygen delivery, oxygen administration to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can lead to decompensated type II respiratory failure. In this debate, Dr Lavery makes the case that high concentration oxygen should be given to all patients treated in an ambulance, while Professor Corris argues against this position.

Background: Severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is based either on symptoms/disability or lung function, which have no discernible correlation. We hypothesised that impulse oscillometry (IOS), a non-effortdependent measure of central and peripheral airway mechanics, could correlate to dyspnoea in COPD.Methods: We analysed screening data from 57 COPD patients who had spirometry, IOS and Medical Research Council dyspnoea score (MRC) measurements.