[Current aspects of ambulatory long-term oxygen therapy].

Longterm O2-therapy increases life expectancy in hypoxemic patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and may improve their quality of life as well. The efficiency of this treatment modality depends upon the duration of oxygen administration within 24 hours. Measures which prolong mobility through a long-lasting oxygen source improve patient compliance. Transtracheal oxygen delivery is a genuine advance in longterm O2-therapy. Other oxygen-conserving methods are of interest, but experience is lacking to assess their efficiency in longterm practice.