Long-term oxygen therapy and quality of life in elderly patients hospitalised due to severe exacerbation of COPD. A 1 year follow-up study
The aim of this study was (1) to evaluate the effects of long-term oxygen treatment (LTOT) in elderly patients with severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypoxaemia, (2) to study the health-related quality of life (QOL) during hospital stay and at follow-up, (3) to study the safety of an oxygen withdrawal test performed a few days after admission to hospital and