Table 1 Commonly Accepted Measures and Potential Markers Associated with COPD Exacerbations

Demographics

Age; Gender; Height; Weight; Body Mass Index (BMI); Disease Years; Pack-Years.

Spirometry/Respiratory Status Measures

Forced Expired Volume in One Second – FEV₁ (litres and % predicted); Forced Vital Capacity – FVC (litres and % predicted); FEV₁/FVC Ratio; Breathing Rate; Oxygenation Saturation (pulse and arterial); Peak Expired Flow Rate (PEFR); Fraction of Inspired Oxygen (FiO₂); Intrinsic PEEP, Arterial Oxygen Tension (PaO₂); Arterial Carbon Dioxide Tension (PaCO₂); PaO₂/FiO₂ Ratio; Sputum Production.

Dyspnea Measures

Baseline Dyspnea Index (BDI); Translational Dyspnea Index (TDI); Medical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnea Scale; Borg Dyspnea Score; American Thoracic Society (ATS) Dyspnea Score.

Functional Challenge & Quality of Life Measures

6 Minute Walking Distance (6MWD); β₂-Agonist Reversibility; Adenosine Monophosphate, Methacholine or Histamine Challenge; St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).

Haemodynamic Measures

Systolic Blood Pressure; Diastolic Blood Pressure; Arterial Blood Pressure; Heart Rate; Cardiac Output.

Electrocardiogram Measures

Lead II; Lead aVF; P Wave Axis-degrees.

Blood Electrolyte, pH and Protein Measures

Sodium; Potassium; Chloride; Bicarbonate; Glucose; pH; Phosphate; Urea; Albumin; Haemoglobin; Creatinine.

Exacerbation-Related Measures

Number of Exacerbations Per Year (or in Past Year); Number of Exacerbations Per Patient-Year; Number of Exacerbations Requiring Oral Corticosteroids Per Patient-Year; Number of Exacerbation Related Infections in Past Year; Days in Hospital; Days Per Patient-Year in Hospital; Days in Intensive Care Unit; Days on Mechanical Ventilation; Number of Unscheduled or Scheduled GP Visits in Past Year; Time to First Exacerbation.

Hospital-Related Measures

Number of Admissions in a Year; Number of Admissions Per Patient-Year; Number of Emergency Department Visits in Past Year; Time in the Emergency Department; Number of Patients Hospitalized in Past Year; Number of Patients Readmitted in Past Year; Number of Patients Relapsed in Past Year; Ventilation Type – Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV), Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (IMV) or Iron Lung; Admission to ICU; Mortality in Intensive Care Unit; Mortality in Hospital; Simplified Acute Physiology II Score (SAPS II); Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II); Glasgow Coma Score (GCS).

Reported Comorbidities – Presence/Absence; Number & Percent of Subjects

Charlson Comorbidity Index; Cardiovascular Disease; Cor Pulmonale; Congestive Heart Failure/Insufficiency; Coronary Heart Disease; Ischaemic Heart Disease; Cardiac Arrhythmia; Hypertension; Pulmonary Oedema; Cerebrovascular Disease; Renal Disease; Liver Disease; Gastrointestinal Disease; Peripheral Vascular Disease; Endocrine Disease; Diabetes Mellitus; Cancer; Deep Vein Thrombosis; Pulmonary Emboli + Deep Vein Thrombosis; Bronchiectasis; Asthma; Depression; Emphysema; Comorbidity Present, Excluded from Study, or Not Described.

Reported Causes of Exacerbations – Presence/Absence; Number & Percent of Subjects

Pneumonia; Sepsis; Bronchospasm; Viral Infection; Bronchial Infection; Infection; Cardiac Insufficiency/Heart Failure; Cardiac Arrhythmia; Pulmonary Emboli; Unknown Cause.

Reported Drug Information – Presence/Absence; Number & Percent of Subjects

Beta Agonists – Inhaled, Short-Acting, Long-Acting, Oral/IV Systemic; Corticosteroids – Inhaled, Oral/IV Systemic; Theophylline; Xanthines; Bronchodilators; Anticholinergics; Long-Term Oxygen Therapy (LTOT); Oxygen Supplementation; Beta-Agonist-Corticosteroid & Beta-Agonist-Anticholinergic Combinations; Antibiotics; Mucolytics; Expectorants; Antitussives; Diuretics; Oral Anticoagulants; Patient Compliance.

Bacterial Information – Number of Patients/Number of Isolates

S. pneumoniae; H. influenzae; M. catarrhalis; P. aeruginosa; B. catarrhalis; H. parainfluenza; S. aureus; C. pneumoniae; E. coli; OTHER: K. pneumoniae, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas Species, Alpha-Haemolytic Streptococci, Acinetobacter, M. pneumoniae, Legionella Species.

Viral Information – Number of Patients/Number of Isolates

Influenza Virus A & B; Parainfluenza V1, V2 & V3; Adenovirus; Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV); Picornavirus; Rhinovirus; Coronavirus.

Cytological Measures – Local (Sputum, Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL), Biopsy); Systemic (Plasma or Serum)

Neutrophils; Macrophages; Eosinophils; Lymphocytes (White Blood Cells).

Biochemical Measures – Local (Exhaled, Sputum, BAL, Biopsy); Systemic (Plasma or Serum)

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4); 8-Isoprostane (8IPT); Elastase; Myeloperoxidase (MPO); Secretory Leukoprotease Inhibitor (SLPI); Endothelin-1 (ET-1); Interleukin-8 (IL8); Interleukin-6 (IL6); Interleukin-10 (IL10); Nitric Oxide; Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNFα); C-Reactive Protein (CRP); Fibrinogen.