Support for intubation in acute COPD

Patients with COPD who undergo endotracheal intubation in intensive care often recover to enjoy a similar quality of life to before admission, UK research shows.

Decisions to admit to critical are made on limited information about quality of life and predicted survival, and there is evidence clinicians can be unduly pessimistic about outcomes.

But of 832 patients admitted to intensive care units throughout the UK because of COPD exacerbation, 62% survived to 180 days.

A questionnaire of survivors showed 73% considered their quality of life to be the same as or better than in the stable period before admission and 96% would choose similar treatment again.

Thorax (abstract) early online publication