PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Freedman, Michael B
AU  - Kim, Yoo Jin
AU  - Kaur, Ramandeep
AU  - Jain, Bijal V
AU  - Adegunsoye, Ayodeji O
AU  - Chung, Yu-Che
AU  - DeLisa, Julie A
AU  - Gardner, Jessica M
AU  - Gordon, Howard S
AU  - Greenberg, Jared A
AU  - Kaul, Malvika
AU  - Khouzam, Nader
AU  - Labedz, Stephanie L
AU  - Mokhlesi, Babak
AU  - Rintz, Jacob
AU  - Rubinstein, Israel
AU  - Taylor, Analisa
AU  - Vines, David L
AU  - Ziauddin, Lubna
AU  - Gerald, Lynn B
AU  - Krishnan, Jerry A
TI  - Home Oxygen After Hospitalization for COVID-19: Results From the Multi-Center OXFORD Study
AID  - 10.4187/respcare.11436
DP  - 2024 Mar 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - 281--289
VI  - 69
IP  - 3
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/69/3/281.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/69/3/281.full
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the first months of the pandemic, prior to the introduction of proven-effective treatments, 15–37% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were discharged on home oxygen. After proven-effective treatments for acute COVID-19 were established by evidence-based guidelines, little remains known about home oxygen requirements following hospitalization for COVID-19.METHODS: This was a retrospective, multi-center cohort study of subjects hospitalized for COVID-19 between October 2020–September 2021 at 3 academic health centers. Information was abstracted from electronic health records at the index hospitalization and for 60 d after discharge. The World Health Organization COVID-19 Clinical Progression Scale score was used to identify patients with severe COVID-19.RESULTS: Of 517 subjects (mean age 58 y, 47% female, 42% Black, 36% Hispanic, 22% with severe COVID-19), 81% were treated with systemic corticosteroids, 61% with remdesivir, and 2.5% with tocilizumab. About one quarter of subjects were discharged on home oxygen (26% [95% CI 22–29]). Older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.02 per 5 y [95% CI 1.02–1.02]), higher body mass index (aOR 1.02 per kg/m2 [1.00–1.04]), diabetes (yes vs no, aOR 1.73 [1.46–2.02]), severe COVID-19 (vs moderate, aOR 3.19 [2.19–4.64]), and treatment with systemic corticosteroids (yes vs no, aOR 30.63 [4.51–208.17]) were associated with an increased odds of discharge on home oxygen. Comorbid hypertension (yes vs no, aOR 0.71 [0.66–0.77) was associated with a decreased odds of home oxygen. Within 60 d of hospital discharge, 50% had documentation of pulse oximetry; in this group, home oxygen was discontinued in 46%.CONCLUSIONS: About one in 4 subjects were prescribed home oxygen after hospitalization for COVID-19, even after guidelines established proven-effective treatments for acute illness. Evidence-based strategies to reduce the requirement for home oxygen in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are needed.