Long-Held Oxygen Therapy Practice Faces New Scrutiny

For decades, long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) has been a cornerstone treatment for patients with hypoxemia, a condition of low blood oxygen. However, the foundational evidence for this practice is old, even as patient care has evolved. A new retrospective study has put this conventional wisdom to the test.

Scientists analysed health outcomes for two groups of patients who had been prescribed LTOT. One group of 79 patients discontinued the therapy within 90 days, while a carefully matched control group of 395 patients continued their treatment. The participants, with an average age of 73, were similar in sex and underlying diseases like COPD.

The results were striking. After adjusting for various factors, the analysis revealed no significant difference in the risk of hospitalisation or death between those who stopped the therapy and those who did not. This surprising finding suggests that the benefits of LTOT may not be universal, prompting calls for a modern, randomised trial to clarify which patients truly need it.