A European consortium of researchers is hopeful that its newly developed decision-making framework for health professionals will transform the care of patients with COPD.
The Collaboration in COPD Exacerbations (CICERO) summarized its work in the study, “Multidimensional Prognostic Risk Stratification of COPD Exacerbations: The Baseline, Acuity and Trigger (BAt) Model,” which was published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
According to a press release, the framework classifies the severity of exacerbations based on three key factors:
- Baseline functional status
- Acuity of the event
- Trigger of the event
Study co-author Neil Greening, PhD, said that COPD exacerbations remain a major driver of hospital admissions and mortality worldwide. He explained that, traditionally, the severity of an acute exacerbation of COPD has been defined by health care use like hospital admission or medication use.
“This approach overlooks the complex interplay of factors that influence patient deterioration — including baseline health status, event intensity and any underlying triggers,” said Dr. Greening, who is associate professor in the University of Leicester’s Department of Respiratory Sciences and honorary consultant respiratory physician from University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
To address this gap, the researchers developed a novel multidimensional framework, called the BAt model, designed to predict exacerbation severity and prognostic risk. By integrating baseline status with event acuity and the trigger driving the episode, this classification offers a structured approach to characterizing exacerbations beyond traditional metrics.
“Health professionals could use BAt to guide site-of-care decisions, predict long-term outcomes and tailor treatment strategies to individual patients,” Dr. Greening said. “This may also improve consistency across diverse clinical settings, from primary care to specialist centers.”
The researchers are now working to refine and validate the framework, with the hope that it will soon become an integral tool in managing COPD.
