Five-Year Experience with Long-Term Oxygen Therapy Zlsing System with Liquid Oxygen-Heimox in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure

Overview

Background.
Long-term oxygen therapy using oxygen concentrators has been introduced in the Czech Republic as a standard method since October 1992. Since August 1996 there has been a possibility of treating patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency with devices exploiting liquid oxygen. In our study we analyzed a group of patients treated with Heimox System during the period August 1996 to December 2000.Methods and Results. Heimox System has been indicated in 85 patients (49 males, 31 females and %ve children). Mean survival time was 10 months, no patient survived three years. Two-year survival was 8.2 % (7 patients) and one-year survival 17.6 % (15 patients). Compared to our results in 1296 patients treated with oxygen concentrators in 1996 (mean survival time 17.3 months, four-year survival 3 %, three-year survival 14.4 %, two-year survival 21.1 %, one-year surviva126.0 %) patients treated with Heimox System had shorter survival time.Conclusions. Indication criteria for Heimox System approve using this System for patients with terminal stage of pulmonary illness and therefore the survival time is very shon.

Key words:
long-term oxygen therapy, respiratory insufficiency, COPD, CFA.