ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the current knowledge on pulmonary gas exchange response to different therapeutic interventions in COPD patients, using essentially conventional arterial blood gas studies. We will discuss extensively the gas exchange response to bronchodilators, the cornerstone of COPD therapy [3]. To a much less extent, we will review the role of steroids and that of vasodilators. There are very few data using oxygen saturation measurements, the simplest and least invasive approach to explore the status of pulmonary gas exchange. Unfortunately, the variability of the latter approach makes it unsuitable to have an accurate estimate of the short-term changes in PaO2 and PaCO2.
