Respiratory parameters predict poor outcome in COPD patients, category GOLD 2017 B

Respiratory parameters are important predictors of prognosis in the COPD population. Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 Update resulted in a vertical shift of patients across COPD categories, with category B being the most populous and clinically heterogeneous. The aim of our study was to investigate whether respiratory parameters might be associated with increased all-cause mortality within GOLD category B patients.

The data were extracted from the Czech Multicentre Research Database, a prospective, noninterventional multicenter study of COPD patients. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed at different levels of respiratory parameters (partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood [PaO₂], partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide [PaCO₂] and greatest decrease of basal peripheral capillary oxygen saturation during 6-minute walking test [6-MWT]). Univariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazard model and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for mortality in hypoxemic and hypercapnic individuals with COPD.

All-cause mortality in the cohort at 3 years of prospective follow-up reached 18.4%. Chronic hypoxemia (PaO₂ <7.3 kPa), hypercapnia (PaCO₂ >7.0 kPa) and oxygen desaturation during the 6-MWT were predictors of long-term mortality in COPD patients with forced expiratory volume in 1 second ≤60% for the overall cohort and for GOLD B category patients. Univariate analyses confirmed the association among decreased oxemia (<7.3 kPa), increased capnemia (>7.0 kPa), oxygen desaturation during 6-MWT and mortality in the studied groups of COPD subjects. Multivariate analysis identified PaO₂ <7.3 kPa as a strong independent risk factor for mortality.

Survival analyses showed significantly increased all-cause mortality in hypoxemic and hypercapnic GOLD B subjects. More important, PaO₂ <7.3 kPa was the strongest risk factor, especially in category B patients. In contrast, the majority of the tested respiratory parameters did not show a difference in mortality in the GOLD category D cohort.