Effects of Automated Oxygen Titration Alone or With High Flow Nasal Therapy on Dyspnea and Exercise Tolerance
Dyspnea, Lung Diseases, Pulmonary Hypertension
About this trial
This is an interventional supportive care trial for Dyspnea
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
One of them
- Moderate to severe COPD (forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) < 80% predicted and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio < 0.7)
- Chronic interstitial lung disease such as usual interstitial pneumonitis (UIP), non-specific interstitial pneumonitis (NSIP) or hypersensitivity pneumonitis on high-resolution computed tomography
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension type 1 or 4, excluding involvement secondary to collagenosis as well as secondary to congenital heart disease, as diagnosed with mean pulmonary artery pressure > 25 mm Hg at right heart catheterization
- Cystic fibrosis, as diagnosed by a positive sweat test (>60 mmol/L) or having 2 genetic mutations known to cause cystic fibrosis.
AND having a 6-minute walking test with significant desaturation defined as a decrease in O2 saturation greater or equal to 5% with O2 saturation at the end of the walking test < 88%
Exclusion Criteria:
- Exacerbation of the primary lung disease in the past 8 weeks
- Exercise limiting diseases other than the primary lung disease.
- Not reaching the target dyspnea score during the walking tests.
- Stage 1 pulmonary sarcoidosis
- History of syncope on exertion
- SpO2 with effort less than 90% despite the use of 6 L of O2 per minute
- Cardiac condition deemed unstable or severe (e.g. severe aortic stenosis)
- Disabling or severe rheumatological or neurological condition
- Participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program within the last year
- Patients with multi-resistant bacteria
Sites / Locations
- Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Active Comparator
Active Comparator
Active Comparator
automated nasal oxygen titration with FreeO2 alone
automated nasal oxygen titration with FreeO2 with high-flow nasal O2 therapy
Fixed-flow oxygen therapy
The participant received automated nasal oxygen titration administered by a closed loop system (FreeO2) during the 3-min constant speed shuttle test (3-min CSST) and endurance shuttle walking test (ESWT). The objective of this system is maintain SpO2 a the pre-specified target level (94% in this study) with an automatic adjustment of oxygen flow second by second.
In addition to nasal oxygen titration administered by a closed loop system (FreeO2), the participant received high flow nasal therapy (Airvo2) set at 60 liters per minute with nasal canula during the 3-min CSST and endurance shuttle walking test.
The participant received oxygen by nasal canula at a fixed flow of 2 liters per minute during the 3-min constant speed shuttle test (3-min CSST) and endurance shuttle walking test (ESWT). In patients already on home oxygen, the O2 flow during exercise was set at 1 L/min above the usual flow used at home .