This places a lot of educational responsibility in the hands of the therapists who help patients set up and use their equipment. No clear evidence exists on how often a patient's oxygen therapy prescription should be reviewed. This question is now being addressed by a research project at National Jewish. Despite this uncertainty, patients clearly need reevaluation as their disease progresses. For the time being, our recommendation is to review the efficacy of oxygen therapy every six months, or whenever there is a significant change in the patient's clinical status.
Transtracheal oxygen decreases inspired minute ventilation.
Respiratory tract infection complicating transtracheal oxygen therapy. Lutz, M, Kraft, M., Make, B. Long-term oxygen therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sem Respir Med, in press. Futura Publishing Company, Inc., Mount Kisco, N.Y., 1991. The Medical Scientific Update , a publication of the Office of Professional Education at National Jewish, provides information to physicians about our clinical and research programs in allergic, respiratory, and immune system disorders.