Measurement of oxygen saturation and provision of supplemental oxygen during exercise assessment in people with COPD during pulmonary rehabilitation programs: A survey

Abstract

Measuring oxygen saturation (SpO₂) during tests of exercise capacity in people with COPD attending pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PRPs) is recommended. However little is known about the implementation in clinical practice. Aim: To investigate the measurement of SpO₂ during exercise testing in PRPs in Australia and whether supplemental oxygen is provided for people who desaturate. Methods: Coordinators of all PRP (n=276) listed by the Lung Foundation Australia were invited to complete an ethics approved, purpose-designed, anonymous online survey. Consent was implicit if surveys were returned. Results: The response rate was 37% (103/276), with 7 surveys partially completed. Majority of respondents (80/103, 78%) had > 3 years experience. Most PRPs were hospital (59/103, 57%) or community based (48/103, 47%) and 54% (56/103) had 50 or more patients referred per year. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) was commonly used for exercise testing (102/103, 99%). Most PRPs measured SpO₂ each minute during the 6MWT (86/99, 87%). 68% of respondents (67/99) indicated that a rest would be imposed during the 6MWT if SpO₂ ≤ 85% (45/67, 67%). Supplemental oxygen was available if required, during exercise testing in most PRPs (79/97, 81%) but only 34% (33/97) had a protocol for administering supplemental oxygen during testing. Conclusion: SpO₂ was measuredduring exercise testing in most PRPs. A standardised protocol for the use of supplemental oxygen during exercise testing in PRP was lacking.