Extract
In the September 2020 issue of theEuropean Respiratory Journal, Zimmermannet al. [1] reported, in a small sample of COPD patients, that standard deviation of the inspiratory reactance (SDXinsp), measured daily by forced oscillation technique (FOT) at 5 Hz, reflects COPD symptoms and may be a sensitive marker for early detection of acute exacerbations of COPD. This study, as well as the previous CHROMED study [2], illustrate that daily spot-checks of respiratory impedance, even in older COPD patients, is practical, well-tolerated and acceptable. The CHROMED study demonstrated no benefit in time to first hospitalisation for exacerbation or quality of life by applying respiratory alerts to detect a trend of worsening in measured FOT parameters. The limitations of predefined alerts based on physiological variables as for oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurements are well recognised and indicate the need for determination of individualised and time-dependent thresholds or predictive algorithms [3].
Abstract
There is a need for including variability of physiological measures such as FOT in the definition of acute COPD exacerbationhttps://bit.ly/2HzN97y
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: R. Breyer-Kohansal has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: M-K. Breyer has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: E.F.M. Wouters has nothing to disclose.
- ReceivedOctober 14, 2020.
- AcceptedOctober 15, 2020.
- Copyright ©ERS 2020