According to a study, patients with COPD receiving home oxygen have a higher risk of burn injury.

The study examined the risk of burn injury in patients with COPD receiving home oxygen and evaluated the factors associated with the risk of burn injury. The researchers used enrollment and claims data from of Medicare beneficiaries from 2001 to 2010. This nationally representative sample contained 2,055 patients with COPD that did not sustain a burn injury and 685 patients with COPD that sustained a burn injury.

The study found that patients with a burn injury were more likely to have been prescribed oxygen therapy within 90 days before the injury compared to patients with COPD that were not prescribed oxygen. These burn injuries frequently involved the face, neck or hands. Also, patients who had sustained a burn injury associated with home oxygen had a 10-fold greater mortality rate than patients with COPD and no burn injury.

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