[Prescribing of long-term oxygen therapy and observation of its results]

It is accepted that long-term oxygen therapy should be given for at least 15 hours per day. We have assessed the value of domiciliary oxygen therapy for a mean period of two months in 127 patients under the care of the association for Aid to Respiratory Failure Patients in Brittany (A.I.R.B.). These patients have been equipped with oxygen concentrators. The mean duration of oxygen therapy is 11.8 +/- 5 hours per day. Only 30 patients (23.6%) achieved treatment of 15 hours or more. The patients were split into two groups on the basis of their usage of oxygen: group A (n = 97 = 76.4%) whose oxygen consumption was less than 15 hours per day; group B (n = 30 = 23.6%) whose consumption of oxygen was equal to or superior to 15 hours per day. There was no difference between the two groups as regards age, sex or cause of their respiratory failure nor as regards socio-professional classification, their habitat, or on the basis of respiratory function tests and tolerance of their treatment. On the other hand, patients having the longest duration of oxygen therapy were the most severe (PaO2 56.5 +/- 9.3, in group A and 50.4 +/- 7.3 in group B), they were also the most compliant (good compliance occurred in 27.8% in group A and 76.7% in group B) and were taking the prescribed therapy for the longest time (group A 13.8 +/- 2.7 hours, group B 17 +/- 2.7 hours). Then again, it is also these patients who had the best understanding and the best evaluation of the duration of oxygen therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)