MoblO2 for COPD and Interstitial Lung Disease

Many patients with chronic lung disease (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or interstitial lung disease (ILD)) require supplemental oxygen (O2) at some point during their disease course. Practitioners prescribe O2 to patients with chronic lung disease in hopes of the following: 1) that it will limit desaturation events and combat breathlessness, thus preventing the frustratingly slow pace and numerous rest breaks patients are forced to adopt while doing even simple tasks; 2) that it will allow patients to be more active physically (perhaps increase their ability to exercise) and socially (perhaps leave the home more often); 3) that it will stave off putative complications of hypoxemia (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension) and 4) that it will improve health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, despite the rationale for O2, and prescribers' good intentions, patients generally view O2 with frustration and fear - it threatens their HRQL, which is already impaired by having a condition that imposes itself on every aspect of their lives. Nasal cannulas and delivery devices call unwanted attention to patients when they are out in public. O2 users feel stigmatized and are often viewed as "smokers who get what they deserve, even if they never smoked a day in their lives" - or as disabled, sick or even infectious. O2 steals patients' independence, forcing them to plan their lives around it. The anxiety that patients and their caregivers experience around running out of oxygen, or not getting enough, immobilizes them and restricts participation in activities outside of the home. O2 disrupts the home environment, adding stress, and creating a burden for patients' caregiver-loved-ones who are often saddled with the responsibility of ensuring adequate equipment and supply of O2, and O2 is a constant reminder to patients they are living with a condition that could shorten their lives. O2 delivery equipment is typically heavy, unwieldy and intimidating. Different recommendations (e.g., insurance companies use 88% as a cut-off for SpO2, while many practitioners focus on 90%) make it confusing for patients, which almost certainly affects adherence. O2-requiringpatients are starving for things that can make their lives easier. An auto-adjusting O2 delivery device - one that automatically delivers the correct amount of O2 to maintain blood oxygen at desired, pre-set levels - would alleviate the need for patients to constantly (incessantly for many) monitor their peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and adjust O2flow to meet the demands as exertion levels vary . The MoblO2 device is a battery-operated, light-weight, closed-loop O2 delivery device that houses a regulator (which attaches to compressed gas O2 tanks) and adjusts O2 flow to meet a pre-set blood oxygen level. A pulse oximeter is worn on the ear and transmits via Bluetooth to the device, which adjusts an internal valve to control flow on a second-to-second basis. The user sets the dial to the highest flow of O2 needed to meet the demands of activities they might perform (up to 15 liters per minute), and the device adjusts flow, up to the pre-set level to maintain SpO2 at a preset level (e.g., \> 90%). To conserve O2 supply in the tank - and to avoid over-oxygenation (which could be problematic for a small percentage of patients with the most severe COPD) - the MoblO2 begins to limit O2 flow at a SpO2 of 93%. The device can be manually over-ridden by the user, and should the battery run out - or the device fail for some unforeseen reason - the default position is valve open, so the users receive whatever flow of oxygen has been set on the dial. Given the substantial burdens of O2 on patients and their families, the hassles patients describe with having to monitor their SpO2 and repeatedly adjust the flow of O2 to meet their needs, patients and experts around the world have called for improvements in O2 delivery equipment. The MoblO2 is just such a remarkable improvement and a giant step forward in helping to ease the burdens of O2 on patients who require it. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the MoblO2 O2 delivery device on a range of outcomes, including physical activity, amount (liters) O2 use; maintenance of adequate SpO2 levels; patient reported outcomes including symptoms, HRQL and satisfaction with the MoblO2 O2 device.