Domiciliary oxygen therapy is widely used in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to relieve hypoxaemia, breathlessness, or both. In this article we review the evidence for domiciliary oxygen—namely long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), ambulatory oxygen and short burst oxygen therapy—in patients with stable COPD and consider how treatment should be used.
LTOT prolongs life in patients with chronic hypoxaemia, while breathing oxygen during exercise increases walking distance and reduces dyspnoea. The evidence that short burst oxygen therapy is useful remains weak despite its widespread use.
Whatever form of oxygen therapy is used, it should be acceptable to patients and, therefore, patient education is important. All patients should have their treatment optimised, and the physician should be clear about what form of oxygen therapy is indicated and how its effectiveness is to be assessed.
