Short burst oxygen therapy

Short burst oxygen therapy (SBOT)

• refers to the intermittent use of supplemental oxygen at home usually for periods of about 10 to 20 minutes at a time to relieve dyspnoea (1)
• it is important to differentiate short burst therapy from the provision of continuous oxygen with exercise and termed ambulatory oxygen therapy
• short burst oxygen therapy has traditionally been used for:
  • pre-oxygenation before exercise
  • breathlessness during recovery from exercise
  • control of breathlessness at rest
  • used in palliative care
  • used after an exacerbation of COPD to bridge the time to full LTOT assessment
• short burst oxygen should be considered for episodic breathlessness, not relieved by other treatments in patients with the following conditions:
  • severe COPD
  • interstitial lung disease
  • heart failure
  • palliative care
• short burst oxygen should only be prescribed if an improvement in breathlessness and/or exercise tolerance can be documented (1)
• SBOT should not be ordered for use prior to or following exercise in hypoxaemic or normoxic patients with COPD. (2)
• SBOT should not be ordered on discharge from hospital for non-hypoxaemic patients with severe COPD. (2)
• assessment for short burst oxygen therapy
  • no specific methodology has been developed for assessment of short burst therapy
  • other causes of breathlessness must be excluded and patients should be assessed for LTOT if appropriate

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises against the use of short-burst oxygen therapy in mild-to-moderate COPD. (2)

Reference:

1. BTS/Home Oxygen Guideline Group Guidelines for Home Oxygen Use in Adults. BMJ Thorax (2016).
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. NICE Guidance (December 2018 - last updated 2019)