Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30309243›Full record

ArticleAnnals of the American Thoracic Society2019

Risks of Benzodiazepines in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Lucas M Donovan, Carol A Malte, Laura J Spece, Matthew F Griffith, Laura C Feemster, Ruth A Engelberg, David H Au, Eric J Hawkins

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Short-term sleep benefitsFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Update in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2019.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2020
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Lucas M Donovan1 Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and.ORCID 0000-0001-8187-2641
Carol A Malte1 Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and.
Laura J Spece1 Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and.
Matthew F Griffith1 Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and.
Laura C Feemster1 Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and.
Ruth A Engelberg2 Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
David H Au1 Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and.
Eric J Hawkins1 Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and.

Funding

RESPIRATORY RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAMT32HL007287 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Kristina Anne Crothers, David J. Horne · 1985 to 2026
$16.7M
University of Washington Implementation Science Training Program (UW-ISTP)K12K12HL137940 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI AU, DAVID H, CURTIS, J RANDALL · 2017 to 2021
$2.9M
Facilitating adoption of COPD evidence-based care in outpatient settings (FACES)K23HL111116 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI FEEMSTER, LAURA CECERE · 2013 to 2017
$481k
Predictors, consequences, and motivations of benzodiazepine use in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseF32HL140685 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI DONOVAN, LUCAS MATTHEW · 2018 to 2018
$55k
Comparative Safety of Benzodiazepines and Opioids Among VA Patients with PTSDI01HX001270 · VA · VA PUGET SOUND HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · PI HAWKINS, ERIC · 2014 to 2014
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HSRD VA I01 HX001270NHLBI NIH HHS F32 HL140685NHLBI NIH HHS K12 HL137940NHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL111116NHLBI NIH HHS T32 HL007287
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleBenzodiazepines are associated with mortality and poor outcomes among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but use of benzodiazepines for dyspnea among patients with end-stage disease may confound this relationship.

objectivesAssess the mortality risks of long-term benzodiazepine exposure among patients with COPD and comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), patients with chronic nonrespiratory indications for benzodiazepines.

methodsWe identified all patients with COPD and PTSD within the Veteran's Health Administration between 2010 and 2012. We calculated propensity scores for benzodiazepine use and compared overall and cause-specific mortality of patients with long-term (≥90 d) benzodiazepine use relative to matched patients without use. Secondary analyses assessed propensity-adjusted survival by characteristics of benzodiazepine exposure.

resultsAmong 44,555 eligible patients with COPD and PTSD, 23.6% received benzodiazepines long term. In the matched sample of 19,552 patients, we observed no mortality difference (hazard ratio [HR] for long-term use, 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95-1.18) but greater risk of death by suicide among those with long-term use (HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.14-4.79). Among matched and unmatched patients, short-term benzodiazepine use, but not long-term use, was associated with increased mortality (short-term: HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.28; long-term: HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.94-1.13).

conclusionsRisks for respiratory compromise related to long-term benzodiazepine use in COPD may be less than previously estimated, but short-term use of benzodiazepines could still pose a mortality risk. Suicide associated with benzodiazepine use in this population warrants further investigation.

Indexed as

AgedBenzodiazepinesComorbidityDrug OverdoseFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreProportional Hazards ModelsPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticSuicideUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsVeteransBenzodiazepinesbenzodiazepinechronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseposttraumatic stress disordersuicide

Identifiers

PMID30309243
PMCPMC6344455

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.