Table 3.
Terminology for Home Oxygen Therapy
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ambulatory oxygen | Oxygen delivered during exercise or activities of daily living. |
| Continuous-flow oxygen | Oxygen delivered at a constant flow rate, regardless of the respiratory rate, in contrast to pulse-dose oxygen (see below). |
| Continuous oxygen | Oxygen prescribed 24 h/d. |
| Home oxygen | Oxygen delivered in a home, also known as domiciliary oxygen. It includes not only long-term oxygen but also short-term, nocturnal, palliative, ambulatory, and short-burst oxygen. It excludes oxygen use in healthcare and emergency settings. |
| Long-term oxygen | Oxygen that is delivered to patients with chronic hypoxemia, in most cases for the remainder of the patient’s life. Long-term oxygen therapy is prescribed for at least 15 h/d. |
| Nocturnal oxygen | Oxygen delivered during sleep time only. |
| Palliative oxygen | Oxygen to relieve dyspnea. Palliative oxygen may be provided continuously, nocturnally, or during ambulation. Short-burst oxygen therapy falls into this category. |
| Portable oxygen | Oxygen delivered through systems that are sufficiently lightweight so that they can be carried or pulled by patients and allow them to leave their home (e.g., oxygen cylinders or canisters carried or pulled in trolleys or portable oxygen concentrators). |
| Pulse-dose oxygen | Oxygen delivered during inspiration only in such a way that the quantity of oxygen administered is influenced by the respiratory rate. The delivery system is at rest while the patient is exhaling. |
| Short-burst oxygen | Brief and intermittent oxygen administration before and/or after exercise, generally used as needed, in the absence of known hypoxemia. |
| Short-term oxygen therapy | Oxygen provided temporarily, during a period of severe hypoxemia (e.g., during the course of and shortly after an exacerbation of COPD). |
Definition of abbreviation: COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
There are several types of home oxygen therapy. This table is provided to assist in standardizing the terminology and is adapted by permission from Reference 22.