Who Needs Oxygen Therapy?

In hospitals, oxygen is accessed through an outlet in the wall such as this one.

Oxygen therapy refers to giving patients oxygen at higher concentrations than those naturally found in the room to treat lack of oxygen in the blood. It includes both administering oxygen to patients through breathing apparatus and placing them in pressurized, hyperbaric chambers.

Significance

To function properly, the body must take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Disruptions to this process can decrease the amount of oxygen in the blood, cause shortness of breath and strain the heart.

Purpose

Conditions treated by oxygen therapy include chronic conditions such as obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, which includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema) as well as emergency conditions such as trauma, hemorrhage, shock, convulsions and hypothermia. Some conditions treated by hyperbaric chambers include gas gangrene, carbon monoxide poisoning, embolism, smoke inhalation and decompression sickness.

Features

In hospital settings, oxygen is piped throughout the facility from a central source and accessed by wall outlet connected to a flow meter and a valve. Patients breath the oxygen through a nasal tube or a mask. At home, oxygen is provided by pressurized canisters or an air compressor. In hyperbaric therapy, the patient is placed in a special chamber and the pressure is slowly increased.

References

• "Gale Encylopedia of Surgery"; Oxygen Therapy; Maggie Boleyn, Angela M. Costello; 2004
• "The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine"; Hyperbaric Chamber; Tish Davidson; 2006