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Alex,
I'll just throw my somewhat 'uneducated' 2 cents worth in here as a word of caution.
My father suffered from chronic emphysema due to a number of contributing factors. We nearly lost him in 2000 & his prognosis was not good however, he managed to keep on trudging on for another 17 years before a chest infection & some other complicating factors proved too much for his severly compromised respiratory system.
His specialist deliberately kept him off supplemental oxygen because, over time it can cause dependancy & actually worsen the condition. Towards his last few years, he probably should have gone on supplemental oxygen as he began to suffer quite severely from hypoxia but, he & his specialist maintained that it was his staying off supplemental oxygen that actually prolonged his life.
I would be very wary of getting your Brother in law onto any form of supplemental breathing device (be it oxygen or normal air) on the basis of my father's experience & specialist advice; whilst your brother in law may indeed be struggling in a respiratory sense, going on some form of supplemental breathing apparatus may actually be detrimental to his condition at this stage.
Cheers
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