ATS 2019: New clinical guideline on home oxygen for children

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) has developed a new clinical practice guideline for home oxygen therapy for children. The guideline appears in the Feb. 1 edition of the Society'sAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Home Oxygen Therapy for Children: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline" makes specific recommendations for treating chronic hypoxemia in children with cystic fibrosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sleep disturbed breathing, sickle cell disease, pulmonary hypertension with and without congenital heart disease and interstitial lung disease. "Home oxygen is often needed for children with chronic lung and pulmonary vascular diseases," said lead author Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, MEd, medical director of the Advanced Lung Disease Program at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and co-chair of the working group organized by the ATS Assembly on Pediatrics. "However, there is a striking lack of empirical evidence regarding its implementation, monitoring and discontinuation in children. These guidelines, developed by a panel of highly respected experts, offer an evidence-based approach to using home oxygen to…