Korean J Intern Med.  2012 Sep;27(3):311-316. 10.3904/kjim.2012.27.3.311.

Clinical Features of Patients on Home Oxygen Therapy Due to Chronic Respiratory Failure at One University Hospital

• Kim KH
• Park TY
• Kim ES
• Chung KB
• Lee SM
• Yim JJ
• Yoo CG
• Kim YW
• Han SK
• Yang SC

• KMID: 1776523
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2012.27.3.311

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Home oxygen therapy (HOT) costs a great deal every year and demand for the service is growing. In Korea, health insurance has covered HOT since November 1, 2006. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical features of patients who used long-term HOT due to chronic respiratory failure and to determine the appropriateness of oxygen prescriptions.
METHODS
Between November 2006 and April 2010, patients prescribed long-term HOT were enrolled in the study at a tertiary university referral hospital and their medical records and telephone survey information were evaluated. In total, 340 patients were evaluated retrospectively.
RESULTS
Regarding the initial indications for HOT, their mean PaO2 was 49.8 mmHg and mean SpO2 was 82.2%. Underlying diseases included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 19.8%), lung cancer (12.6%), and interstitial lung disease (11.2%). The admission rate within 1 year was 53.4% and the average number of admissions was 1.64/patient. Other underlying diseases for which oxygen was prescribed, despite not meeting the insurance coverage criteria, were lung cancer (36.6%) and interstitial pneumonia (16.6%).
CONCLUSIONS
Home oxygen prescriptions have increased since health insurance coverage was extended. However, cases of oxygen prescriptions frequently do not meet the coverage criteria. It is important to discuss extending the coverage criteria to other disease groups, such as interstitial lung disease and lung cancer, in terms of cost-effectiveness. Further, physicians prescribing oxygen therapy should be educated regarding the criteria.

Keyword

Chronic respiratory failure; Clinical feature; Compliance; Home oxygen therapy

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cause of Death
Chronic Disease
Eligibility Determination
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
*Home Care Services, Hospital-Based
Hospitalization
*Hospitals, University
Humans
Insurance Coverage
Insurance, Health
Kaplan-Meier Estimate
Male
Middle Aged
*Oxygen Inhalation Therapy
Patient Compliance
Program Evaluation
Republic of Korea
Respiratory Insufficiency/diagnosis/etiology/mortality/*therapy
Retrospective Studies
Time Factors
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult