Altitude and O_2 Therapy in Chronic Lung Disease
Authors: PAUL M. STEVENS
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1970)

Letters and Comments1 October 1970Altitude and O2 Therapy in Chronic Lung DiseasePAUL M. STEVENS, M.D.PAUL M. STEVENS, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-73-4-659 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: In the May 1970 issue (Ann Intern Med 72:621-626, 1970) Drs. Neff and Petty reported on the improved survival of their patients with chronic obstructive lung disease treated with continuous oxygen therapy. I was interested in seeing the beneficial results they obtained but do not agree that their data suggest that the use of long-term oxygen supplementation significantly decreases mortality of patients with severe hypoxemia and cor pulmonale. This point is of great importance since most obstructed patients with severe hypoxemia live at altitudes closer to sea level than to that of Denver.It is generally accepted...References1. BOUSHY S and COATES E: Prognostic value of pulmonary function tests in emphysema. With special reference to arterial blood studies. Amer Rev Resp Div 90:553-563, 1964 MedlineGoogle Scholar2. RENZETTI A, MCCLEMENT J, and LITT B: Veterans administration cooperative study of pulmonary function. III. Mortality in relation to respiratory function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Amer J Med 41:115-129, 1966 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar1. BOUSHY S, ADHIKARI P, and SAKAMOTO A: Factors affecting prognosis in emphysema. Dis Chest 45:402-411, 1964 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. RENZETTI A, MCCLEMENT J, and LITT B: Veterans Administration cooperative study of pulmonary function. III. Mortality in relation to respiratory function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Amer J Med: 41:115-129, 1966 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. FILLEY G: Pulmonary Insufficiency and Respiratory Failure. Philadelphia, Lea & Febiger, 1967 Google Scholar4. ABRAHAM A, COLE R, and BISHOP J: Reversal of pulmonary hypertension by prolonged oxygen administration to patients with chronic bronchitis. Circ Res 23:147-157, 1968 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. CHAMBERLAIN D and MILLARD F: The treatment of polycythemia secondary to hypoxemic lung disease by continuous oxygen administration. Quart J Med 32:341-350, 1968 Google Scholar6. ASTIN T and PENMAN W: Airway obstruction due to hypoxemia in patients with chronic lung disease. Amer Rev Resp Dis 95:567-575, 1967 MedlineGoogle Scholar7. LEVINE B, BIGELOW D, and HAMSTRA R: The role of long-term continuous oxygen administration in patients with chronic airway obstruction with hypoxemia. Ann Intern Med 66:639-650, 1967 LinkGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: PAUL M. STEVENS, M.D.Affiliations: Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory Methodist Hospital Department of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Tex. 77025 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 October 1970Volume 73, Issue 4Page: 659-660KeywordsHypoxiaLungsMortalityOxygen ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 October 1970 PDF downloadLoading ...