WHEN IT COMES TO COPD,
THERE’S MUCH MORE AT
THE HEART OF THE
MATTER

Could you be acting earlier in your patients' COPD treatment?

The lungs and the heart are fundamentally linked and work together.¹ COPD mechanisms elevate the risk of both lung and heart events, including COPD exacerbations (or COPD flare-ups), cardiac events and death from these. In COPD patients, this elevated risk of lung and heart events is termed “cardiopulmonary risk.”^2-7

Proactive treatment for your COPD patients may prevent exacerbations and reduce mortality by addressing cardiopulmonary risk.^7-10 Through such proactive treatment, you could improve prognosis and prevent...

COPD-Associated Cardiopulmonary Risk

Learn about the latest evidence on the cardiopulmonary burden of COPD from Professor John Hurst, Respiratory Medicine at University College London and honorary consultant at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust:

Download the presentation

You’ll learn:

1

How worsening COPD symptoms and exacerbations can lead to cardiopulmonary events and early death
2

What the potential mechanisms of COPD-associated cardiopulmonary risk are
3

That adopting a preventative mindset can be effective, and be executed upon by identifying patients at-risk and optimising their management

Exacerbations are common for COPD patients, but they remain
under-recognised, under reported, and under-treated.^12-14 And the
impact of exacerbations reaches beyond the lungs.⁴

Consider more proactive intervention before your patient’s next exacerbation

Download the flare-up checklist

Understanding exacerbation history is the best way to predict future risk.¹⁰ This tool can help your patients review their COPD symptoms and work with you to understand if a review of treatment options is required.

Download hospital discharge protocol

There is a high readmission rate for patients hospitalised for a COPD exacerbation, with evidence suggesting that COPD discharge bundles may aid towards reducing this.^9,30

To look to improve patient outcomes, refer to this comprehensive COPD hospital discharge protocol in helping address readmission rates.

It’s never too early to Act on COPD

Put prevention of exacerbation and early death at the centre of COPD management.

American Lung Foundation. Heart-Lung Relationship. Blog, February 13, 2023. https://www.lung.org/blog/heart-lung-relationship
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^* In some patients, lung function did not recover to pre-exacerbation levels by eight weeks after the start of the moderate exacerbation

^†Following a severe exacerbation, the rate of severe exacerbation increased and the time to subsequent exacerbations decreased

^‡Singh D, Han MK, Hawkins NM, et al. Implications of Cardiopulmonary Risk for the Management of COPD: A Narrative Review. Adv Ther (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-024-02855-4

^**In a study conducted on patients with moderately severe COPD and rigorously adjudicated CVD events

^***Cohort study evaluating severe COPD exacerbations and their association with mortality in 73,106 patients with their first severe COPD exacerbation requiring hospitalisation (patients identified 1990–2005, followed until death or 31 March 2007)

^****Irreversibly reduce lung function

^*****The relative risk of MI returned to near baseline, similar to any other post-exacerbation time interval

WHEN IT COMES TO COPD,
THERE’S MUCH MORE AT
THE HEART OF THE
MATTER

COPD-Associated Cardiopulmonary Risk

You’ll learn:

Exacerbations are common for COPD patients, but they remain
under-recognised, under reported, and under-treated.^12-14 And the
impact of exacerbations reaches beyond the lungs.⁴

Exacerbations are a short-term worsening of one or more COPD symptoms requiring additional therapy¹³

Exacerbations are associated with a poor quality of life and increased prevalence of anxiety and depression among COPD patients^25,26

Just one moderate exacerbation can lead to decline in lung function^27,28

Most exacerbations are caused by respiratory infections. Infection triggered exacerbations have more severe outcomes.^38,46

Increased risk of CV events like heart attack and heart failure worsening may persist for up to one year due to damage from COPD exacerbations¹⁵

Exacerbations can increase the risk of future COPD hospitalisations and death³

Consider more proactive intervention before your patient’s next exacerbation

It’s never too early to Act on COPD

Put prevention of exacerbation and early death at the centre of COPD management.

Welcome to AZMedical Science

WHEN IT COMES TO COPD, THERE’S MUCH MORE AT THE HEART OF THE MATTER

COPD-Associated Cardiopulmonary Risk

You’ll learn:

Exacerbations are common for COPD patients, but they remain under-recognised, under reported, and under-treated.12-14 And the impact of exacerbations reaches beyond the lungs.4

Consider more proactive intervention before your patient’s next exacerbation

It’s never too early to Act on COPD

Put prevention of exacerbation and early death at the centre of COPD management.

References

WHEN IT COMES TO COPD,
THERE’S MUCH MORE AT
THE HEART OF THE
MATTER

Exacerbations are common for COPD patients, but they remain
under-recognised, under reported, and under-treated.^12-14 And the
impact of exacerbations reaches beyond the lungs.⁴