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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Management
What other assessments should I do in a person with COPD?
- Document whether the person smokes or is an ex-smoker, and the number of pack-years smoked (number of cigarettes smoked per day, divided by 20, multiplied by the number of years smoked).
- Assess for the presence of anxiety or depression in people who are hypoxic or have severe dyspnoea. See the CKS topic on Depression.
- Be alert for the presence of depression in all people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Do the following investigations:
- Pulse oximetry to assess the need for oxygen therapy if cyanosis or cor pulmonale is present, or if FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) is less than 50% predicted normal.
- Full blood count to identify anaemia or secondary polycythaemia (erythrocytosis).
- Electrocardiography to assess cardiac status if the person has features of cor pulmonale.
- Sputum culture to identify organisms if sputum is persistently present and purulent.
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