Normal Routine Spirometry Can Mask COPD/Emphysema in Symptomatic Smokers.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have emphasized the difficulty of early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in symptomatic smokers with normal routine spirometry. This includes post-bronchodilator normal forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)(L)≥80% predicted, forced vital capacity (FVC)(L)≥80% predicted, and FEV1/FVC ≥70% or greater than age corrected lower limit of normal (LLN). However, in COPD the pathologic site of small airway obstruction and emphysema begins in the small peripheral airways ≤2 mm id which normally contribute <20% of total airway resistance. METHODS: Expiratory airflow at high and low lung volumes post-bronchodilator were measured and correlated with lung computed tomography (CT) and lung pathology (6 patients) in 16 symptomatic, treated smokers, and all with normal routine spirometry. RESULTS: Despite normal routine spirometry, all16 patients had isolated, abnormal forced expiratory flow at 75% of FVC (FEF75) using data from Knudson et al, Hankinson et al NHAMES III, and Quanjer et al and the Global Lung Function Initiative. This reflects isolated detection of small airways obstruction and/or emphysema. Measuring airflow at FEF50 detected only 8 of 16 patients, maximal expiratory flow at 25%-75% of FVC (MEF25-75) only 4 of 16, residual volume (RV) 4 of 16, and RV to total lung capacity ratio only 2 of 16. There was excellent correlation between limited lung pathology and lung CT for absence of emphysema. CONCLUSION: This study confirms our earlier observations that detection of small airways obstruction and/or emphysema, in symptomatic smokers with normal routine spirometry, requires analysis of expiratory airflow at low lung volumes, including FEF75. Dependence upon normal routine spirometry may result in clinical and physiologic delay in the diagnosis and treatment in symptomatic smokers with emphysema and small airways obstruction.

Small airway loss in the physiologically ageing lung: a cross-sectional study in unused donor lungs.

BACKGROUND: Physiological lung ageing is associated with a gradual decline in dynamic lung volumes and a progressive increase in residual volume due to diminished elastic recoil of the lung, loss of alveolar tissue, and lower chest wall compliance. However, the effects of ageing on the small airways (ie, airways <2·0 mm in diameter) remain largely unknown. By using a combination of ex-vivo conventional CT (resolution 1 mm), whole lung micro-CT (resolution 150 µm), and micro-CT of extracted cores (resolution 10 µm), we aimed to provide a multiresolution assessment of the small airways in lung ageing in a large cohort of never smokers. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, we included donor lungs collected from 32 deceased never-smoking donors (age range 16-83 years). Ex-vivo CT and whole lung high-resolution CT (micro-CT) were used to determine total airway numbers, stratified by airway diameter. Micro-CT was used to assess the number, length, and diameter of terminal bronchioles (ie, the last generation of conducting airways); mean linear intercept; and surface density in four lung tissue cores from each lung, extracted using a uniform sampling approach. Regression ß coefficients are calculated using linear regression and polynomial models. FINDINGS: Ex-vivo CT analysis showed an age-dependent decrease in the number of airways of diameter 2·0 mm to less than 2·5 mm (ß coefficient per decade -0·119, 95% CI -0·193 to -0·045; R2=0·29) and especially in airways smaller than 2·0 mm in diameter (-0·158, -0·233 to -0·084; R2=0·47), between 30 and 80 years of age, but not of the larger (≥2·5 mm) diameter airways (-0·00781, -0·04409 to 0·02848; R2=0·0007). In micro-CT analysis of small airways, the total number of terminal bronchioles per lung increased until the age of 30 years, after which an almost linear decline in the number of terminal bronchioles was observed (ß coefficient per decade -2035, 95% CI -2818 to -1252; R2=0·55), accompanied by a non-significant increase in alveolar airspace size (6·44, -0·57 to 13·45, R2=0·10). Moreover, this decrease in terminal bronchioles was associated with the age-related decline of pulmonary function predicted by healthy reference values. INTERPRETATION: Loss of terminal bronchioles is an important structural component of age-related decline in pulmonary function of healthy, non-smoking individuals. FUNDING: Research Foundation-Flanders, KU Leuven, Parker B Francis Foundation, UGent, Canadian Institutes for Health.

Small airways pathology in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The observation that patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) can have higher than normal expiratory flow rates at low lung volumes led to the conclusion that the airways are spared in IPF. This study aimed to re-examine the hypothesis that airways are spared in IPF using a multiresolution imaging protocol that combines multidetector CT (MDCT), with micro-CT and histology. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study comparing explanted lungs from patients with severe IPF treated by lung transplantation with a cohort of unused donor (control) lungs. The donor control lungs had no known lung disease, comorbidities, or structural lung injury, and were deemed appropriate for transplantation on review of the clinical files. The diagnosis of IPF in the lungs from patients was established by a multidisciplinary consensus committee according to existing guidelines, and was confirmed by video-assisted thoracic surgical biopsy or by pathological examination of the contralateral lung. The control and IPF groups were matched for age, sex, height, and bodyweight. Samples of lung tissue were compared using the multiresolution imaging approach: a cascade of clinical MDCT, micro-CT, and histological imaging. We did two experiments: in experiment 1, all the lungs were randomly sampled; in experiment 2, samples were selected from regions of minimal and established fibrosis. The patients and donors were recruited from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Leuven, Belgium) and the University of Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia, PA, USA). The study took place at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC, Canada). FINDINGS: Between Oct 5, 2009, and July 22, 2016, explanted lungs from patients with severe IPF (n=11), were compared with a cohort of unused donor (control) lungs (n=10), providing 240 samples of lung tissue for comparison using the multiresolution imaging approach. The MDCT specimen scans show that the number of visible airways located between the ninth generation (control 69 [SD 22] versus patients with IPF 105 [33], p=0·0023) and 14th generation (control 9 [6] versus patients with IPF 49 [28], p<0·0001) of airway branching are increased in patients with IPF, which we show by micro-CT is due to thickening of their walls and distortion of their lumens. The micro-CT analysis showed that compared with healthy (control) lung anatomy (mean 5·6 terminal bronchioles per mL [SD 1·6]), minimal fibrosis in IPF tissue was associated with a 57% loss of the terminal bronchioles (mean 2·4 terminal bronchioles per mL [SD 1·0]; p<0·0001), the appearance of fibroblastic foci, and infiltration of the tissue by inflammatory immune cells capable of forming lymphoid follicles. Established fibrosis in IPF tissue had a similar reduction (66%) in the number of terminal bronchioles (mean 1·9 terminal bronchioles per mL [SD 1·4]; p<0·0001) and was dominated by increased airspace size, Ashcroft fibrosis score, and volume fractions of tissue and collagen. INTERPRETATION: Small airways disease is a feature of IPF, with significant loss of terminal bronchioles occuring within regions of minimal fibrosis. On the basis of these findings, we postulate that the small airways could become a potential therapeutic target in IPF. FUNDING: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, US National Institutes of Health, BC Lung Association, and Genentech.

Randomised controlled trial of adjunctive inspiratory muscle training for patients with COPD.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate whether adjunctive inspiratory muscle training (IMT) can enhance the well-established benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with COPD. METHODS: 219 patients with COPD (FEV1: 42%±16% predicted) with inspiratory muscle weakness (PImax: 51±15 cm H2O) were randomised into an intervention group (IMT+PR; n=110) or a control group (Sham-IMT+PR; n=109) in this double-blind, multicentre randomised controlled trial between February 2012 and October 2016 (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01397396). Improvement in 6 min walking distance (6MWD) was a priori defined as the primary outcome. Prespecified secondary outcomes included respiratory muscle function and endurance cycling time. FINDINGS: No significant differences between the intervention group (n=89) and the control group (n=85) in improvements in 6MWD were observed (0.3 m, 95% CI -13 to 14, p=0.967). Patients who completed assessments in the intervention group achieved larger gains in inspiratory muscle strength (effect size: 1.07, p<0.001) and endurance (effect size: 0.79, p<0.001) than patients in the control group. 75 s additional improvement in endurance cycling time (95% CI 1 to 149, p=0.048) and significant reductions in Borg dyspnoea score at isotime during the cycling test (95% CI -1.5 to -0.01, p=0.049) were observed in the intervention group. INTERPRETATION: Improvements in respiratory muscle function after adjunctive IMT did not translate into additional improvements in 6MWD (primary outcome). Additional gains in endurance time and reductions in symptoms of dyspnoea were observed during an endurance cycling test (secondary outcome) TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01397396; Results.

Teamwork and Adherence to Recommendations Explain the Effect of a Care Pathway on Reduced 30-day Readmission for Patients with a COPD Exacerbation.

This study aimed to increase our understanding of processes that underlie the effect of care pathway implementation on reduced 30-day readmission rate. Adherence to evidence-based recommendations, teamwork and burnout have previously been identified as potential mechanisms in this association. We conducted a secondary data analysis of 257 patients admitted with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation and 284 team members caring for these patients in 19 Belgian, Italian and Portuguese hospitals. Clinical measures included 30-day readmission and adherence to a specific set of five care activities. Teamwork measures included team climate for innovation, level of organized care and burnout (emotional exhaustion, level of competence and mental detachment). Care pathway implementation was significantly associated with better adherence and reduced 30-day readmission. Better adherence and higher level of competence were also related to reduced 30-day readmission. Only better adherence fully mediated the association between care pathway implementation and reduced 30-day readmission. Better team climate for innovation and level of organized care, although both improved after care pathway implementation, did not show any explanatory mechanisms in the association between care pathway implementation and reduced 30-day readmission. Implementation of a care pathway had an impact on clinical and team indicators. To reduce 30-day readmission rates, in the development and implementation of a care pathway, hospitals should measure adherence to evidence-based recommendations during the whole process, as this can give information regarding the success of implementation.

Respiratory muscle function and exercise limitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory muscle dysfunction is common and contributes to dyspnea and exercise limitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Improving dynamic function of respiratory muscles during exercise might help to reduce symptoms and improve exercise capacity. Areas covered: The aims of this review are to 1) summarize physiological mechanisms linking respiratory muscle dysfunction to dyspnea and exercise limitation; 2) provide an overview of available therapeutic approaches to better maintain load-capacity balance of respiratory muscles during exercise; and 3) to summarize current knowledge on potential mechanisms explaining effects of interventions aimed at optimizing dynamic respiratory muscle function with a special focus on inspiratory muscle training. Expert commentary: Several mechanisms which are potentially linking improvements in dynamic respiratory muscle function to symptomatic and functional benefits have not been studied so far in COPD patients. Examples of underexplored areas include the study of neural processes related to the relief of acute dyspnea and the competition between respiratory and peripheral muscles for limited energy supplies during exercise. Novel methodologies are available to non-invasively study these mechanisms. Better insights into the consequences of dynamic respiratory muscle dysfunction will hopefully contribute to further refine and individualize therapeutic approaches in patients with COPD.

A simple algorithm for the identification of clinical COPD phenotypes.

This study aimed to identify simple rules for allocating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to clinical phenotypes identified by cluster analyses.Data from 2409 COPD patients of French/Belgian COPD cohorts were analysed using cluster analysis resulting in the identification of subgroups, for which clinical relevance was determined by comparing 3-year all-cause mortality. Classification and regression trees (CARTs) were used to develop an algorithm for allocating patients to these subgroups. This algorithm was tested in 3651 patients from the COPD Cohorts Collaborative International Assessment (3CIA) initiative.Cluster analysis identified five subgroups of COPD patients with different clinical characteristics (especially regarding severity of respiratory disease and the presence of cardiovascular comorbidities and diabetes). The CART-based algorithm indicated that the variables relevant for patient grouping differed markedly between patients with isolated respiratory disease (FEV1, dyspnoea grade) and those with multi-morbidity (dyspnoea grade, age, FEV1 and body mass index). Application of this algorithm to the 3CIA cohorts confirmed that it identified subgroups of patients with different clinical characteristics, mortality rates (median, from 4% to 27%) and age at death (median, from 68 to 76 years).A simple algorithm, integrating respiratory characteristics and comorbidities, allowed the identification of clinically relevant COPD phenotypes.

Effect of a single exacerbation on decline in lung function in COPD.

BACKGROUND: COPD exacerbations are associated with accelerated lung function decline, but whether they are causal is unknown. We evaluated the effect of a single exacerbation on rate of lung function change using data from the 4-year Understanding Potential Long-term Impacts on Function with Tiotropium (UPLIFT®) trial. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of annual rates of decline in FEV1 and FVC before and after a single (and the only) moderate-to-severe exacerbation in patients during UPLIFT® (exacerbator subgroup), compared with changes between the first and second half of the study in a non-exacerbator subgroup. A sensitivity analysis examined annual rates of decline in matched pairs of exacerbators and non-exacerbators. RESULTS: Following the single moderate-to-severe exacerbation, mean annual decline in post-bronchodilator lung function increased compared with the rate of decline before the exacerbation (FEV1 76.5 vs. 39.1 mL/year, p = 0.003; FVC 106.5 vs. 34.7 mL/year, p = 0.011). In non-exacerbators, there were no differences in rates of decline between the first and second halves of the study (post-bronchodilator FEV1 38.2 vs. 41.8 mL/year, FVC 45.3 vs. 43.9 mL/year. Before the single (moderate-to-severe) exacerbation in the exacerbator subgroup, declines in post-bronchodilator FEV1 or FVC were similar to non-exacerbators in the first half of the study; after the single exacerbation they were significantly higher than for non-exacerbators in the second half of the study. The sensitivity analysis showed similar results. CONCLUSION: A single COPD exacerbation may result in significant increase in the rate of decline in lung function.

Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2017 Report: GOLD Executive Summary. / Informe 2017 de la Iniciativa Global para el Diagnóstico, Tratamiento y Prevención de la Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica: Resumen Ejecutivo de GOLD.

This Executive Summary of the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD (GOLD) 2017 Report focuses primarily on the revised and novel parts of the document. The most significant changes include: 1) the assessment of COPD has been refined to separate the spirometric assessment from symptom evaluation. ABCD groups are now proposed to be derived exclusively from patient symptoms and their history of exacerbations; 2) for each of the groups A to D, escalation strategies for pharmacological treatments are proposed; 3) the concept of de-escalation of therapy is introduced in the treatment assessment scheme; 4) nonpharmacologic therapies are comprehensively presented and; 5) the importance of comorbid conditions in managing COPD is reviewed.

Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2017 Report: GOLD Executive Summary.

This Executive Summary of the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 Report focuses primarily on the revised and novel parts of the document. The most significant changes include: (i) the assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been refined to separate the spirometric assessment from symptom evaluation. ABCD groups are now proposed to be derived exclusively from patient symptoms and their history of exacerbations; (ii) for each of the groups A to D, escalation strategies for pharmacological treatments are proposed; (iii) the concept of de-escalation of therapy is introduced in the treatment assessment scheme; (iv)non-pharmacological therapies are comprehensively presented and (v) the importance of co-morbid conditions in managing COPD is reviewed.

Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2017 Report: GOLD Executive Summary.

This Executive Summary of the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD (GOLD) 2017 Report focuses primarily on the revised and novel parts of the document. The most significant changes include: 1) the assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been refined to separate the spirometric assessment from symptom evaluation. ABCD groups are now proposed to be derived exclusively from patient symptoms and their history of exacerbations; 2) for each of the groups A to D, escalation strategies for pharmacological treatments are proposed; 3) the concept of de-escalation of therapy is introduced in the treatment assessment scheme; 4) nonpharmacologic therapies are comprehensively presented and; 5) the importance of comorbid conditions in managing COPD is reviewed.

Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2017 Report. GOLD Executive Summary.

This Executive Summary of the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 report focuses primarily on the revised and novel parts of the document. The most significant changes include: (1) the assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been refined to separate the spirometric assessment from symptom evaluation. ABCD groups are now proposed to be derived exclusively from patient symptoms and their history of exacerbations; (2) for each of the groups A to D, escalation strategies for pharmacologic treatments are proposed; (3) the concept of deescalation of therapy is introduced in the treatment assessment scheme; (4) nonpharmacologic therapies are comprehensively presented; and (5) the importance of comorbid conditions in managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is reviewed.

Automated Interpretation of Pulmonary Function Tests in Adults with Respiratory Complaints.

BACKGROUND: The use of pulmonary function tests is primarily based on expert opinion and international guidelines. Current interpretation strategies are using predefined cutoffs for the description of a typical pattern. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the predicted disease outcome based on the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) interpreting strategy. Subsequently, we investigated whether an unbiased machine learning framework integrating lung function with clinical variables may provide alternative decision trees resulting in a more accurate diagnosis. METHODS: Our study included data from 968 subjects admitted for the first time to a pulmonary practice. The final clinical diagnosis was based on the combination of complete pulmonary function with the investigations that were decided at the physician's discretion. Clinical diagnoses were separated into 10 different groups and validated by an expert panel. RESULTS: The ATS/ERS algorithm resulted in a correct diagnostic label in 38% of the subjects. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was detected with an acceptable accuracy (74%), whereas all other diseases were poorly identified. The new data-based decision tree improved the general accuracy to 68% after 10-fold cross-validation when detecting the most common lung diseases, with a significantly higher positive predictive value and sensitivity for COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease, and neuromuscular disorder (83/78, 66/82, 52/59, and 100/54%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that the current algorithms for lung function interpretation can be improved by a computer-based choice of lung function and clinical variables and their decision-making thresholds.

An International Study of Adherence to Guidelines for Patients Hospitalised with a COPD Exacerbation.

Guideline adherence rates for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation are low. The aim of this study is to perform an importance-performance analysis as an approach for prioritisation of interventions by linking guidelines adherence rates to expert consensus rates for the in-hospital management of COPD exacerbation. We illustrate the relevance of such approach by describing variation in guideline adherence across indicators and hospitals. A secondary data analysis of patients with an acute COPD exacerbation admitted to Belgian, Italian and Portuguese hospitals was performed. Twenty-one process indicators were used to describe adherence to guidelines from patient record reviews. Expert consensus on the importance for follow-up of these 21 indicators was derived from a previous Delphi study. Three of the twenty-one indicators had high level of expert consensus and a high level of adherence. Eleven of the twenty-one indicators had high level of expert consensus but a low level of adherence. For none of the 378 patients included in this study were all process indicators adhered to, patients received 41.0% of the recommended care on average, and only 34.1% of the patients received 50% or more of the care they should receive. There was also a large variation within and between hospitals regarding the care received. This study confirms the findings of previous studies, indicating that COPD exacerbations are largely undertreated. Importance-performance analysis provides a decision-making tool for prioritising indicators. All hospitals in this study would benefit from having in place a quality framework for systematic follow-up of these indicators.

Impact of a care pathway for COPD on adherence to guidelines and hospital readmission: a cluster randomized trial.

PURPOSE: Current in-hospital management of exacerbations of COPD is suboptimal, and patient outcomes are poor. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate whether implementation of a care pathway (CP) for COPD improves the 6 months readmission rate. Secondary outcomes were the 30 days readmission rate, mortality, length of stay and adherence to guidelines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An international cluster randomized controlled trial was performed in Belgium, Italy and Portugal. General hospitals were randomly assigned to an intervention group where a CP was implemented or a control group where usual care was provided. The targeted population included patients with COPD exacerbation. RESULTS: Twenty-two hospitals were included, whereof 11 hospitals (n=174 patients) were randomized to the intervention group and 11 hospitals (n=168 patients) to the control group. The CP had no impact on the 6 months readmission rate. However, the 30 days readmission rate was significantly lower in the intervention group (9.7%; 15/155) compared to the control group (15.3%; 22/144) (odds ratio =0.427; 95% confidence interval 0.222-0.822; P=0.040). Performance on process indicators was significantly higher in the intervention group for 2 of 24 main indicators (8.3%). CONCLUSION: The implementation of this in-hospital CP for COPD exacerbation has no impact on the 6 months readmission rate, but it significantly reduces the 30 days readmission rate.

Survival after pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD: impact of functional exercise capacity and its changes.

The impact of rehabilitation-induced changes in 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) on the survival of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been fully elucidated. This study sought to determine the association of baseline 6MWD and its changes after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) with 5-year survival in patients with COPD. Patients who were referred to a 12-week outpatient PR program were followed up for 5 years postcompletion, and survival status was verified. Survival was analyzed according to four groups based upon initial 6MWD (6MWDi) and its changes (Δ6MWD) after PR (Group 1: 6MWDi ≥350 m and Δ6MWD ≥30 m; Group 2: 6MWDi ≥350 m and Δ6MWD <30 m; Group 3: 6MWDi <350 m and Δ6MWD ≥30 m; and Group 4: 6MWDi <350 m and Δ6MWD <30 m) via Kaplan-Meier analysis and log rank test. Cox regression was performed to identify possible confounders of mortality estimates. In total, 423 patients (with mean ± standard deviation of forced expiratory volume in the first second [FEV1] 43±16% predicted, age 65±8 years, and 6WMDi 381±134 m) underwent PR between 1999 and 2010. Survival rates decreased progressively from Group 1 to Group 4 (Group 1, 81%; Group 2, 69%; Group 3, 47%; Group 4, 27%; log rank test, P<0.05). 6MWDi ≥350 m (hazard ratio [HR] 0.39 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.30-0.50]) and Δ6MWD ≥30 m (HR 0.66 [95% CI 0.51-0.85]) were strongly and independently associated with survival. Compared with Group 1, mortality risks progressively increased in Group 2 (HR 1.36 [95% CI 0.92-2.00]; not significant), Group 3 (HR 1.90 [95% CI 1.28-2.84]; P=0.001), and Group 4 (HR 3.28 [95% CI 2.02-5.33]; P<0.0001). Both poor 6MWD and lack of improvement >30 m after PR are associated with worse 5-year survival in patients with COPD.

Evaluation of the effects of olodaterol on exercise endurance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: results from two 6-week crossover studies.

BACKGROUND: Two replicate, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week crossover studies assessed the effect of the once-daily long-acting ß2-agonist olodaterol 5 µg and 10 µg on constant work-rate cycle endurance in patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: Patients received placebo, olodaterol 5 µg once daily (QD) and olodaterol 10 µg QD in a randomised order for 6 weeks each, with a 2-week washout period in between. The primary end point was change in endurance time during constant work-rate cycle ergometry to symptom limitation at 75 % maximal work capacity after 6 weeks of treatment (2 h post-dose), based on log10-transformed data. Key secondary end points were inspiratory capacity at isotime and intensity of breathing discomfort at isotime. RESULTS: 151 and 157 patients were randomised and treated in Studies 1222.37 and 1222.38, respectively, with 147 and 154 being included in the full analysis sets. Mean endurance time at week 6 was increased compared to placebo by 14.0 % (Study 1222.37; p < 0.001) and 11.8 % (Study 1222.38; p < 0.01) with olodaterol 5 µg, and by 13.8 % (Study 1222.37; p < 0.001) and 10.5 % (Study 1222.38; p < 0.01) with olodaterol 10 µg. Inspiratory capacity at isotime increased with olodaterol 5 µg (Study 1222.37, 0.182 L, p < 0.0001; Study 1222.38, 0.084 L, p < 0.05) and 10 µg (Study 1222.37, 0.174 L; Study 1222.38, 0.166 L; both studies, p < 0.0001), and breathing discomfort was significantly reduced in Study 1222.37 (olodaterol 5 µg, 0.77 Borg units, p < 0.001; olodaterol 10 µg, 0.63 Borg units, p < 0.01) but not Study 1222.38. CONCLUSIONS: These studies provide further characterisation of the efficacy of olodaterol, showing that improvements in airflow (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) are associated with increases in inspiratory capacity and improvements in exercise endurance time. TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: NCT01040130 (1222.37) and NCT01040793 (1222.38).

Defining a COPD composite safety endpoint for demonstrating efficacy in clinical trials: results from the randomized, placebo-controlled UPLIFT® trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinical trials evaluating hard endpoints (mortality, hospitalized exacerbations) require a large number of subjects and prolonged observational periods. We hypothesized that a composite endpoint of respiratory outcomes (CERO) can help evaluate safety and benefit in COPD trials. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 5992 patients enrolled in the 4-year UPLIFT® trial, a randomized trial of tiotropium versus placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. Patients were permitted to continue using their usual COPD medications except for other anticholinergics. The CERO included deaths, respiratory failure, hospitalized exacerbations, and trial dropout due to COPD worsening. The incidence rates (IRs) per 100 patient-years and risk ratios (RRs and 95 % CI) were determined at years 1 to 4. The effect of treatments on CERO was similarly assessed. A power analysis helped calculate the sample size needed to achieve outcome differences between treatments. RESULTS: The CERO IRs at years 1 to 4 for tiotropium versus placebo were 16, 13, 11, and 11, and 21, 16, 14, and 13, respectively. The RRs of CERO between tiotropium and placebo at the same time points were: RR-year 0.76 (0.67, 0.86), 0.80 (0.72, 0.88), 0.81 (0.74, 0.89), and 0.84 (0.77, 0.92). Using the IRs and RRs, the sample size (alpha = 0.05 two-sided, 90 % power) for studies of 1, 2, 3, and 4 years would be 1546, 1392, 1216, and 1504 per treatment group, respectively, with 575, 810, 930, 1383 required events, respectively, for hypothetical, event-driven studies. CONCLUSIONS: A composite endpoint incorporating relatively infrequent serious or significant COPD-related safety outcomes could be useful in clinical trials. In UPLIFT®, CERO events were significantly reduced in patients receiving tiotropium compared with placebo. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00144339 .