Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) Respironics today released results from a study of positive airway pressure therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, touting that PAP therapy was associated with reduced hospitalizations but that 92% of patients were not receiving PAP treatment.
Results from the retrospective study indicated that only 7.5% of COPD patients analyzed were receiving PAP therapy in any form, but that COPD patients treated with PAP therapy experienced lower hospitalization rates than before therapy and lower rates than those not treated with PAP.
The study examined patients with multiple chronic medical conditions, Philips said, including co-morbidities such as sleep apnea, chronic respiratory failure and heart failure. Patients with these conditions received greater benefits from PAP therapy, the company said, though results indicated that a further investigation into the causal connection between PAP therapy and reduced hospital readmissions of COPD patients was needed.
“Frequent readmissions of COPD patients not only disrupt their quality of life, but are costing our health systems billions. This analysis revealed that there is a solution already accessible within our toolbox that can keep patients out of the hospital, but it is significantly underutilized. With improved awareness and implementation of PAP therapy as a treatment for COPD, we can lower the cost burden for health systems while allowing patients to recover in the comfort of their own homes,” study lead Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy of the University of Arizona College of Medicine said in a prepared statement.
Philips said that data from 2 other studies of patients with COPD reported significant decreases in hospital and payer costs, hospitalization rates and length of admission-free survival for individuals with COPD treated with home non-invasive ventilation.
“Many clinicians still reference dated information when considering COPD treatment methods, yet technologies, machines and even masks have advanced significantly since PAP therapy was first introduced. This study demonstrates the vast opportunity for the industry to further adopt recent innovations for COPD treatment,” Philips respiratory care biz lead Eli Diacopoulos said in a press release.
