What is your approach to patients with chronic hypoxemic respiratory failure who have apparent higher oxygen needs during hospitalization but no clear acute/decompensated respiratory illness?

Will work them up completely for infection, PE, COPD exacerbation, heart failure/cardiac etiology. If no convincing reason for decompensation and they are stable, I will have them do a 6 min RT walk test to determine oxygen needs and have them follow up with PCP or pulmonary for further PFTs or othe...

I agree with all of these answers, and as a palliative care clinician, I feel like we should talk to the patient and family about what the future might bring, what is most important that might come next, and a general symptom assessment.

It is very important to clarify the chronicity and etiology of the condition.

A COPD patient continues to smoke with worsening shortness of breath over a month. This is a worsening of a chronic condition that does not require hospitalization.

All hospitalized patients with acute hypoxia while on hom...