COPD and air travel: oxygen equipment and preflight titration of supplemental oxygen

Patients with COPD may need supplemental oxygen during air travel to avoid development of severe hypoxemia. The current study evaluated whether the hypoxia-altitude simulation test (HAST), in which patients breathe 15.1% oxygen simulating aircraft conditions, can be used to establish the optimal dose of supplemental oxygen. Also, the various types of oxygen-delivery equipment allowed for air travel were compared.

In a randomized crossover trial, 16 patients with COPD were exposed to alveolar hypoxia: in a hypobaric chamber (HC) at 2,438 m (8,000 ft) and with a HAST. During both tests, supplemental oxygen was given by nasal cannula (NC) with (1) continuous flow, (2) an oxygen-conserving device, and (3) a portable oxygen concentrator (POC).

PaO(2) kPa (mm Hg) while in the HC and during the HAST with supplemental oxygen at 2 L/min (pulse setting 2) on devices 1 to 3 was (1) 8.6 ± 1.0 (65 ± 8) vs 12.5 ± 2.4 (94 ± 18) (P < .001), (2) 8.6 ± 1.6 (64 ± 12) vs 9.7 ± 1.5 (73 ± 11) (P < .001), and (3) 7.7 ± 0.9 (58 ± 7) vs 8.2 ± 1.1 (62 ± 8) (P= .003), respectively.

The HAST may be used to identify patients needing supplemental oxygen during air travel. However, oxygen titration using an NC during a HAST causes accumulation of oxygen within the facemask and underestimates the oxygen dose required. When comparing the various types of oxygen-delivery equipment in an HC at 2,438 m (8,000 ft), compressed gaseous oxygen with continuous flow or with an oxygen-conserving device resulted in the same PaO(2), whereas a POC showed significantly lower PaO(2) values.

ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: Identifier: NCT01019538; URL: clinicaltrials.gov.