Using a ventilator to control the level of supplemental oxygen a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient receives halved patients' trips to the hospital from disease flare-ups, according to a clinical trial.

British researchers conducted the study, which they dubbed the Home Oxygen Therapy-Home Mechanical Ventilation (HOT-HMV) trial (NCT00990132). The team that led the research was from the Lane Fox Respiratory Service at the London academic science center Guy's and St Thomas.

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