Integrating health status and survival data: the palliative effect of lung volume reduction surgery.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

In studies that address health-related quality of life (QoL) and survival, subjects who die are usually censored from QoL assessments. This practice tends to inflate the apparent benefits of interventions with a high risk of mortality. Assessing a composite QoL-death outcome is a potential solution to this problem.

Objectives

To determine the effect of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) on a composite endpoint consisting of the occurrence of death or a clinically meaningful decline in QoL defined as an increase of at least eight points in the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire total score from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial.

Methods

In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema randomized to receive medical treatment (n =

SUBMITTER: Benzo R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2724716 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature