Improving Patient Outcomes with Technology: A Look at the Evidence

December 13, 2024

Advancements in technology are transforming patient care in respiratory, with new solutions helping providers improve quality of life and patient satisfaction.

Here, DDH's Joseph Lewarski, MHA, RRT, FAARC, and John Zelczak, BS, RRT, CPFT, dive into the evidence behind how the auto-adjusting SmartDose® technology and remote connectivity in the iGo®2 concentratorcan improve the way providers support patient care.

Thinking differently about what patients need in a portable oxygen concentrator is critical to keeping them healthy and active. The technological advances provided by connectivity, along with the proprietary, patient-responsive SmartDose® oxygen delivery method can play an important part in enhancing patients’ lives, while empowering them to live an active lifestyle.

The ability to track and analyze portable oxygen concentrator (POC) usage patterns in home oxygen patients via connectivity can provide an opportunity for providers to help oxygen patients improve their quality of life, morbidity, and mortality.

In a review of the seminal NOTT study, Petty and Bliss demonstrated that chronically hypoxemic home oxygen therapy patients who are active and ambulate regularly with a portable oxygen system have improved long-term survival when compared to similar patients who do not.[1] Glezer, et al. observed similar results in a comparison of different oxygen systems, concluding that the POC users with high mobility had improved survival when compared to low mobility users.[2]

The SmartDose® oxygen delivery method has been demonstrated to be clinically meaningful to ambulatory home oxygen patients.

A POC study examining home oxygen patient usage patterns concluded that a large portion of patients adjust/change their POC settings during the day, likely in response to changing activities and clinical needs. The authors suggest a solution could be “dynamic oxygen dosing to match their activity.”[3] This technological solution already exists in the SmartDose® algorithm. This intelligent, patient-responsive auto-adjusting oxygen delivery algorithm has been shown in clinical studies to significantly improve exercise tolerance, oxygenation, dyspnea, and 6-minute walk distances when compared to traditional ambulatory oxygen delivery methods.[4]

As providers look to the future of patient care, it's clear that innovative solutions like SmartDose® and advanced connectivity can help improve outcomes and enhance quality of life. Connect with us to learn more about integrating these cutting-edge solutions into your practice.

[1] Petty TL, Bliss PL. NOTT Study (Revisited). Respir Care 2000;45(2):204-211

[2] Glezer S, et al. Health and Economic Impact of Different Long-Term Oxygen Therapeutic Strategies in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure: A French Nationwide Health Claims Database (SNDS) Study. Pulmonary Therapy. 2024 Jun 1:1-26

[3] Glezer S, Hess MW, Kamada AK. Patient Use Patterns of Portable Oxygen Concentrators. Pulmonary Therapy. 2024 Mar;10(1):123-32.

[4] Ichiba T, Miyagawa T, Miyao N. Comparison of 6-minute walking distance test due to different oxygen conserving devices. European Respiratory Journal 2017 50: PA765

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