Clinical Outcomes Of Using Nebulized Budesonide As The Initial Treatment For Acute Exacerbations Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Post-Hoc Analysis

Abstract

Purpose

The current guidelines recommend the use of systemic corticosteroids (SCS) as the optimal treatment for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). The aim of this real-world study was to evaluate whether nebulized budesonide (NBS) could also be used as an initial treatment for AECOPD.

Patients and methods

AECOPD patients initially treated with NBS or SCS (oral/intravenous) were enrolled. A large-scale, long-term multicenter cohort study of AECOPD patients was performed to analyze outcomes for each treatment (NCT2051166).

Results

Initial NBS and SCS treatment resulted in similar outcomes in terms of improvements in FEV₁, PaO₂, SaO₂, and PaCO₂. Disease severity affected outcome similarly in both groups. When the groups were stratified according to whether the initial treatment was subsequently intensified or reduced, more intubation was seen in the groups in which initial treatment was intensified. NBS escalation and SCS reduction groups spent more days in the hospital. The NBS escalation group was associated with the highest medical expenditure and a relatively higher rate of new-onset pneumonia. The NBS maintenance/reduction group showed the lowest mortality rate between groups. Stratification according to initial PaCO₂ level showed more intubation in the groups with high initial PaCO₂ concentrations.

Conclusion

These results indicate that NBS may be used as an initial treatment in certain AECOPD patients, and further studies are needed to better define those most likely to benefit.

Keywords:

• nebulized budesonide
• systemic corticosteroids
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• AECOPD

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all patients and investigators involved in the study (see Appendix for a full list of investigators). In addition, the authors would like to thank Convergence CT for providing writing assistance and editorial support during development of the manuscript.

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.