ABSTRACT
Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is the only treatment which has been shown to
improve significantly life expectancy in patients with severe chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibiting marked hypoxemia. There has been a
considerable development of LTOT in the last two decades and it is estimated that
more than 800,000 people, including a large majority of COPD patients, receive home
oxygen therapy in the United States. In France, about 80,000 COPD patients are treated
with home oxygen therapy.
