[Home oxygen therapy in pulmonary tuberculosis and pulmonary atypical mycobacteriosis during chemotherapy]

During the period of eight years from 1985 to 1992 we had sixteen patients (pulmonary tuberculosis: 6, atypical mycobacteriosis: 10) who had been under the treatment for tuberculosis and on whom home oxygen therapy (HOT) was started. Of sixteen patients twelve had history of antituberculous therapy in the past. There were nine chronic active or persistently sputum positive patients of whom three were pulmonary tuberculosis and six atypical mycobacteriosis. The duration of illness was long in these patients and it was more than ten years in tuberculosis patients. Four cases died, two cases of pulmonary tuberculosis died from hemoptysis, and two cases of atypical mycobacteriosis died from respiratory failure.