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Background: Home oxygen therapy (HOT) improves survival in patients with hypoxaemic chronic respiratory disease. Most patients evaluated for HOT are former or active smokers. Oxygen accelerates combustion and smoking may increase the risk of burn injuries and fire hazards; therefore, it is considered a contraindication for HOT in many countries. However, there is variability in the practices and policies regarding this matter. This multidisciplinary Swedish taskforce aimed to review the potential benefits and risks of smoking in relation to HOT, including medical, practical, legal and ethical considerations. Methods: The taskforce of the Swedish Respiratory Society comprises 15 members across respiratory medicine, nursing, medical law and ethics. HOT effectiveness and adverse risks related to smoking, as well as practical, legal and ethical considerations, were reviewed, resulting in five general questions and four PICO (population–intervention–comparator–outcome) questions. The strength of each recommendation was rated according to the GRADE (grading of recommendation assessment, development and evaluation) methodology. Results: General questions about the practical, legal and ethical aspects of HOT were discussed and summarised in the document. The PICO questions resulted in recommendations about assessment, management and follow-up of smoking when considering HOT, if HOT should be offered to people that meet the eligibility criteria but who continue to smoke, if a specific length of time of smoking cessation should be considered before assessing eligibility for HOT, and identification of areas for further research. Conclusions: Multiple factors need to be considered in the benefit/risk evaluation of HOT in active smokers. A systematic approach is suggested to guide healthcare professionals in evaluating HOT in relation to smoking.

BACKGROUND: Long-term oxygen supplementation for at least 15 hours per day prolongs survival among patients with severe hypoxemia. On the basis of a nonrandomized comparison, long-term oxygen therapy has been recommended to be used for 24 hours per day, a more burdensome regimen. METHODS: To test the hypothesis that long-term oxygen therapy used for 24 hours per day does not result in a lower risk of hospitalization or death at 1 year than therapy for 15 hours per day, we conducted a multicenter, registry-based, randomized, controlled trial involving patients who were starting oxygen therapy for chronic, severe hypoxemia at rest. The patients were randomly assigned to receive long-term oxygen therapy for 24 or 15 hours per day. The primary outcome, assessed in a time-to-event analysis, was a composite of hospitalization or death from any cause within 1 year. Secondary outcomes included the individual components of the primary outcome assessed at 3 and 12 months. RESULTS: Between May 18, 2018, and April 4, 2022, a total of 241 patients were randomly assigned to receive long-term oxygen therapy for 24 hours per day (117 patients) or 15 hours per day (124 patients). No patient was lost to follow-up. At 12 months, the median patient-reported daily duration of oxygen therapy was 24.0 hours (interquartile range, 21.0 to 24.0) in the 24-hour group and 15.0 hours (interquartile range, 15.0 to 16.0) in the 15-hour group. The risk of hospitalization or death within 1 year in the 24-hour group was not lower than that in the 15-hour group (mean rate, 124.7 and 124.5 events per 100 person-years, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72 to 1.36; 90% CI, 0.76 to 1.29; P = 0.007 for nonsuperiority). The groups did not differ substantially in the incidence of hospitalization for any cause, death from any cause, or adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with severe hypoxemia, long-term oxygen therapy used for 24 hours per day did not result in a lower, Supported by grants from the Crafoord Foundation (2016-1065 and 2018-0563); the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation (2014-0572 and 2016-0414); the Swedish Research Council (Dnr 2019-02081); the Swedish Society for Medical Research, Swedish Society of Medicine (SLS-589671 and SLS-693941), and the Örebro Research Committee (OLL-715231).

Background The Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) is a difficult to treat mycobacterium with two distinct morphologies: smooth and rough. As the clinical implications are unclear, we explored the morphology of MABC in relation to disease and outcome. Methods We performed a retrospective multicenter cohort study including patients with confirmed MABC in Sweden, 2009-2020, with treatment outcome as the primary outcome. MABC colony morphology was determined by light microscopy on Middlebrook 7H10 agar plates. Results Of the 71 MABC isolates, a defined morphology could be determined for 63 isolates, of which 40 were smooth (56%) and 23 were rough (32%). Immunosuppression, pulmonary disease, and cavitary lesion on chest radiographs were significantly associated with a rough isolate morphology. Participants with smooth isolates had more favorable treatment outcomes (12/14, 86%) compared to those with rough isolates (3/10, 30%). In an age-adjusted logistic regression, rough morphology of MABC was associated to lower odds of clinical cure compared to smooth morphology (adjusted odds ratio, 0.12; P = .049). Conclusions Study participants with rough MABC colony morphology of isolates had a worse clinical outcome compared to those with smooth isolates. The biological mechanisms should be further characterized and colony morphology of MABC taken into account during clinical management. In this retrospective cohort study, a rough colony morphology of Mycobacterium abscessus complex was associated with poor treatment outcome, cavitary disease, and cough as a presenting symptom in the study participants, as compared to those with smooth isolates., Funding Agencies|Stockholm Regional Council [SLS 20181256, SLS 20180615]; Swedish Research Council [2019-05 901]

INTRODUCTION: Covid-19 can cause chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, but the impact on the need for long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is unknown. The aim was to investigate change in incidence and characteristics of patients starting LTOT in Sweden 2020 after the outbreak of the pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Population-based observational study using data from the National Registry for Respiratory Failure (Swedevox) and from a survey to all centres prescribing LTOT in Sweden. Swedevox data provided information on incidence of LTOT and characteristics of patients starting LTOT during 2015-2020. RESULTS: Between March-Dec 2020, 131 patients started LTOT due to covid-19, corresponding to 20.5% of incident LTOT in Sweden. Compared with 2015-19, the total number of patients starting LTOT did not increase. No significant differences in patient characteristics or underlying causes of hypoxemia were found between patients starting LTOT during 2020 compared 2015-2019. The majority of the LTOT centres estimated that, since the start of the pandemic, the incidence of LTOT was unchanged and the time devoted for LTOT work was the same or slightly less. CONCLUSIONS: Covid-19 caused one fifth of all LTOT starts during the pandemic in 2020. The LTOT incidence overall did not increase possibly due to reduction in other infections.

Technology developments and demand for flexibility in health care and in contact with the health care system are two factors leading to increased use of eHealth solutions. The use of eHealth has been shown to have positive effects in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but the full potential for this group needs to be explored. Therefore, the aim was to evaluate the feasibility of an eHealth tool used for exercise training and online contacts for people with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The 10-week intervention included an eHealth tool for exercise training in home environment and regular online contacts, as well as weekly e-rounds for health care professionals. Seven of the nine participants completed the study. The eHealth tool was found to be feasible for e-rounds, exercise training and online contacts. Participants could manage the tool and adhere to training; positive effects were shown, and no adverse events occurred. Technical functions need to be improved.

Supplement: 64Meeting Abstract: 67