Not all-inclusive and can be updated. These are recent articles with findings that may impact or change how you currently practice.
1. Noninvasive ventilation in patients with chronic hypercapnea improves survival, if the PCO2 was lowered by 20% (or to 48 mmHg).
Lancet 2014
2. NAC for exacerbations. Meta-analysis Eur Respir Rev 2015; 24: 451–461. In patients with chronic bronchitis, N-acetylcysteine decreases the rate of exacerbations. The data shows that if the patient has an airway obstruction, NAC should be administered at a dose of
⩾1200 mg per day to prevent exacerbations, while if a patient suffers from chronic bronchitis, but is
without airway obstruction, a regular treatment of 600 mg per day seems to be sufficient.
3. LOTT study (NEJM 375:1617 2016 )
In patients with stable COPD and resting desaturation (89 to 93%) or exercise-induced moderate desaturation, long-term supplemental oxygen did not result in a longer time to death or first hospitalization than no long-term supplemental oxygen, nor did it provide sustained
benefit with regard to any of the other measured outcomes.
I recognize the data on the non invasive ventilation on COPD and recall seeing the same study done by the same group in 2014. Lancet Respir Med. 2014 Sep;2(9):698-705. I skimmed through it and at a glance everything is the same including graphs. I wonder what they changed? any opinion?