Introduction Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an important world-wide cause of death, disability and reduced quality of life.1 Acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) are a common reason for hospital admission and predict both recurrent hospital admission and death: 18–39% of patients admitted with AECOPD are readmitted within 3 months,2 while up to 73% may […]