Oxygen therapy during exercise training in COPD

What is it about?

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) usually have shortness of breath which prevents them from performing their daily activities. Formal rehabilitation exercise programs for COPD help improve stamina, decrease breathlessness and enhance the quality of life for individuals living with COPD. Along with rehabilitation, the use of oxygen during exercise may provide additional benefits. This review aims to determine the effectiveness of adding oxygen to exercise training compared to no oxygen supplementation during exercise for people living with COPD.

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Why is it important?

Based on five studies addressed in this review, our findings showed that people living with COPD may exercise for longer periods of time using oxygen during exercise training programs. However, these studies did not look at the shortness of breath in daily life. From the evidence to this date, it is not possible to determine whether individuals with COPD should use oxygen during exercise, thus stronger studies with more participants are required.