I am VERY concerned by the LOTT study that was published today I am worried that Medicare and Medicaid and insurers will use this flawed study to deny oxygen for folks who might otherwise benefit from it.
The headlines and press releases read: Long-Term Oxygen for COPD with Moderate Desaturation Does Not Benefit Patients
Here was the full article that was published in NEJM HTTP://WWW.NEJM.ORG/DOI/FULL/10.1056/NEJMOA1604344...
Here is info that is not making it into the press releases
HTTP://WWW.NEJM.ORG/DOI/SUPPL/10.1056/NEJMOA160434...
The average BMI was 28.6 with NO ONE having a BMI under 22,
Only 17% of no o2, and 13% using o2, were stage 4,
and only 11% of no o2, and 9% using o2, had a BODE score of 7 or greater.
all this info is on p26-29 of the appendix (2nd link)
This study seems skewed - the phenotype most likely to benefit from oxygen was under represented and not evenly divided between the groups.
71% were men and 87% were white as well.