New guidelines for COPD suggest corticosteroids, antibiotic therapy, and noninvasive mechanical ventilation for patients experiencing exacerbations depending on whether they are ambulatory or hospitalized, reports Medscape.
Unlike most existing COPD guidelines, which rely primarily on evidence from hospitalized patients with severe exacerbations, the new document also addresses the needs of outpatients, said Marc Miravitlles, MD, from University Hospital Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain, coauthor of the guideline.
The new document, published in the March 16 issue of the European Respiratory Journal, is based on a comprehensive review of the available evidence by a multidisciplinary task force convened jointly by the European Respiratory Society and the American Thoracic Society. The guidelines extend and update existing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, including the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD (GOLD) 2017 Report, which was published online earlier this year.
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