Outcome of Patients with Long-Term Oxygen Therapy: A Nationwide Belgian Cohort Study

Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) for patients with severe chronic hypoxemia is a well-established treatment, but data on long-term outcomes are limited. This study aims to describe the characteristics and survival of patients using LTOT in Belgium. Data from patients receiving LTOT were extracted from the Belgian Social Security databank with 4 years of follow-up and compared with a more detailed tertiary care cohort from the University Hospital of Leuven. Kaplan-Meier curves for overall and transplant-free survival were constructed. We performed log-rank univariate analyses for diagnosis and starting treatment modality and applied a Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age and underlying diagnosis. In Belgium, 4973 patients started LTOT in 2017. Overall 4-year survival was 22% and determined by age, baseline oxygen modality and diagnosis. LTOT was primarily prescribed for patients with COPD (75%) who had higher 4-year survival (24%) compared to patients with restrictive pulmonary disease (17%) (HR 1.23, p < 0.005). In the University hospital cohort (n = 533), 4-year transplant-free survival was 26% with significantly lower survival rates of patients with ILD (13%) (HR 1.98, p < 0.005) and other obstructive lung diseases (24%) (HR 1.56, p < 0.01) as compared to COPD (33%). Survival for patients receiving LTOT remains poor. Best prognosis is seen in patients with COPD, while patients with restrictive pulmonary disease and ILD in particular have the poorest outcome. Palliative care and end-of-life discussions should be an integral part of prescribing LTOT.