TY - JOUR T1 - Air travel and COPD: A new algorithm for pre-flight evaluation JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 40 IS - Suppl 56 SP - P3447 AU - Anne Edvardsen AU - Aina Akerø AU - Carl Christian Christensen AU - Morten Ryg AU - Ole Henning Skjønsberg Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3447.abstract N2 - The reduced pressure in the aircraft cabin may cause significant hypoxaemia and respiratory distress in patients with COPD. Simple and reliable methods for predicting need for supplemental oxygen during air travel have been requested.Objective To construct a pre-flight evaluation algorithm for COPD patients.Methods In this prospective, cross-sectional study of 100 COPD patients, sea level pulse oximetry at rest (SpO2 SL) and exercise desaturation (SpO2 6MWT) were used to evaluate whether the patient a) is fit to fly without further assessment, b) needs further evaluation with hypoxia-altitude simulation test (HAST) or c) should receive in-flight supplemental oxygen without further evaluation. HAST was used as reference method.Results An algorithm was constructed using a combination of SpO2 SL and SpO2 6MWT. Categories for SpO2 SL: >95%, 92-95%, and <92%, the cut-off value for SpO2 6MWT was calculated to 84%. Arterial oxygen pressure <6.6 kPa was the criterion for recommending supplemental oxygen. When validated on a separate group of 50 COPD patients, this algorithm had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 80%.Patients with SpO2 SL >95% combined with SpO2 6MWT ≥84% may travel by air without further assessment. Supplemental oxygen is recommended if SpO2 SL 92-95% combined with SpO2 6MWT <84%, or if SpO2 SL <92%. Otherwise, HAST should be performed.Conclusions The algorithm is a simple tool for pre-flight evaluation of COPD patients. ER -