TABLE 2

Prescribing criteria for home oxygen therapy in Spain

Continuous oxygen therapy (>15 h·day−1)
 Indicated to improve survival and quality of life when:

  •   Resting PaO2 ≤55 mmHg (7.3 kPa)

  •   Resting PaO2 between 56 and 59 mmHg (7.4–7.8 kPa) with evidence of organ damage by hypoxia (including right heart failure, pulmonary hypertension or polycythaemia)

  •  Not recommended in patients with COPD and moderate hypoxaemia

  •  Oxygen flow should be sufficient to maintain PaO2 >60 mmHg (8.0 kPa) or SpO2 >90%

Oxygen therapy during exercise

  •  May improve the quality of life of patients with exercise desaturation (SpO2 ≤88%)

  •  Demonstration of the correction of hypoxaemia during exercise by administering oxygen (SpO2 ≥90%) accompanied by an improvement of dyspnoea or exercise tolerance is required for prescription

  •  May be useful during exercise in patients in rehabilitation programmes, to increase the duration and intensity of training

PaO2: arterial oxygen tension; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; SpO2: oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry. Reproduced and modified from [11] with permission from the publisher.