The Singapore Family Physician
                            Back to issue
                            
                                
                                    Vol 44 No. 4 - Update in Asthma Management
                                
                            
                        
                    
                    Case of Advanced COPD: Lessons Learnt
                            
                                
                                    The Singapore Family Physician
                                    Vol 44
                                    No 4
                                    - Update in Asthma Management
                                
                            
                        
                    
                                52
                                
                                    - 55
                                
                            
                        
                                
                                    1 September 2018
                                
                            
                        
                                0377-5305
                            
                        A case study of a 76-year-old man with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with refractory breathlessness and the challenges in managing the dyspnoea he had been experiencing are described. A multi-modal approach is the mainstay of management, encompassing pharmacological agents, home oxygen therapy, and non-pharmacological approaches, namely, breathing techniques and smoking cessation. As this patient was at an advanced stage of disease, integration of palliative care with disease care was needed. Administering oxygen therapy for a patient who is still smoking and has household members who are current smokers need firm adherence to rules. The AIC HOME Programme is also briefly described.