Norbert Metzdorf

TL;DR: Evidence-based approaches to prevent and manage severe exacerbations should be implemented as part of targeted strategies for disease management, and strategies to prevent readmission to hospital are identified.

TL;DR: The new classification system for COPD is probably an improvement for the prediction of exacerbations, but a deterioration for predicting mortality and lung function decline, and a modest step towards a phenotype approach.

TL;DR: Future incorporation of blood eosinophil counts into clinical trials could potentially reduce drug development costs and trial failures and provide further opportunities to evaluate aspects of eos inophil testing and standardization of methodology and clinical utility.

TL;DR: A single COPD exacerbation may result in significant increase in the rate of decline in lung function, which is significantly higher than for non-exacerbators in the second half of the study.

TL;DR: The findings support the cardiac safety of tiotropium HandiHaler® in patients with COPD.