Oxygen Flashcards
1
Q
Mechanism of action
A
Oxygen therapy in severe asthma increases the partial pressure of oxygen in the air and therefore encourages more oxygen to bind to the haemoglobin in the blood which increases oxygen saturation levels
2
Q
Clinical use
A
Long-term treatment (>15h/day) in patients with severe COPD, severe chronic asthma, CF, obstructive sleep apnoea. Short burst oxygen therapy (10- 20 minutes) in patients who suffer episodes of breathlessness. Ambulatory oxygen therapy (generally <4h/day) is prescribed to patients who are on long-term oxygen therapy who need to be away from home on a regular basis.
3
Q
Adverse effects
A
Hot flushes, vaginal bleeding/discharge, suppression of menstruation, gastrointestinal disturbances, headache, light- headedness, decreased platelet counts
4
Q
oxygen saturation of a healthy individual?
A
greater than 96%
5
Q
how to treat patients with low blood oxygen levels
A
treated with additional pure oxygen or air/oxygen mixtures via a mask, nasal cannula, or tracheal intubation to alleviate the symptoms caused by low oxygen levels in the tissues