Ambulatory oxygen assessment on discharge from hospital
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A comparison of the standardised 6-minute walk test with a non-standardised walk test in ambulatory oxygen assessments for patients’ post-acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease on discharge from hospital
IRAS ID
171902
Contact name
Ruth E Barker
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 1 months, 31 days
Research summary
Ambulatory oxygen (AO) is supplementary oxygen provided for patients who present with exercise-induced hypoxaemia. AO differs from long term oxygen therapy (LTOT), which is required for those with resting hypoxaemia.
On discharge from hospital, a patient admitted with an exacerbation of their chronic respiratory condition may need an AO assessment if they continue to need AO and present with exercise-induced hypoxaemia.
The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is recommended to assess for AO in stable patients (British Thoracic Society, 2006) as the 6MWT is sensitive exercise-induced hypoxaemia (Poulain et al, 2003) and is reliable and accurate (Starobin et al, 2006). Oxygen saturation (SpO2) is monitored continuously during 6MWT, with nadir SpO2 recorded. The 6MWT is completed on room air, then repeated on different AO flows to determine the optimal AO flow for individual patients. Patients who require LTOT will complete the baseline 6MWT on LTOT required.
However, the 6MWT has not been researched with patients are hospitalised as a method to assess for AO. Therefore, there is uncertainty regarding how to assess AO requirements for patients being discharged from hospital.
Hence, assessments with hospitalised patients often differs from those with stable patients, with AO assessments often based on non-standardised functional walk tests (NSWT).
Therefore, this study focuses upon patients with chronic respiratory conditions being discharged from hospital who are failing to wean off oxygen whilst exerting themselves to address two aims. Firstly, to investigate whether patient responses to NSWTs and 6MWTs are comparable. Secondly, to investigate whether AO effects perceived breathlessness, distance walked and whether a baseline walk is required in the acute setting.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0232
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion