Effect Of Tiotropium And Salmeterol In COPD Patients With Low Or High Risk Of Exacerbations: A Post-Hoc Analysis From The Prevention of Exacerbations with Tiotropium in COPD (POET…

Rationale: A history of past exacerbations (EX) is a predictor of future events in COPD patients (PT). The latest GOLD strategy divides PT into low (≤2 EX, no severe EX) and high (≥2 or ≥1 severe EX) risk categories. The current study explores the effect of tiotropium (T) and salmeterol (S) on EX in PT with a low (LR) or high risk (HR) of an EX during a 1-yr treatment period in the POET-COPD® trial (N= 3456), in which PT had a history of at least one EX within the previous yr. Methods: We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the POET-COPD® database. PT were classified as having a LR of EX (infrequent exacerbators: ≤…