However, with more common causes, such as acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severe acute asthma, patients’ ventilation may be sensitive to oxygen therapy. Is generally safe and non-toxic; however, there are some concerns that prolonged exposure to supranormal levels may lead to parenchymal lung injury and cause hypercapnia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For most people with healthy lungs, 21% oxygen is sufficient, but if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or a condition that affects your lung function, the amount of oxygen obtained through normal breathing is not sufficient. In this case, you will need additional amounts of oxygen to maintain normal body function. Other possible complications include eye damage, lung collapse, low blood sugar and sinus problems. This can lead to seizures, fluid in the lungs, lung failure or other problems.
It is essential to follow certain safety precautions when using oxygen therapy. Supplemental oxygen therapy helps people with COPD, COVID-19, emphysema, sleep apnea and other breathing problems get enough oxygen to function and stay healthy. Oxygen therapy improves mortality in patients with COPD and severe hypoxemia. Results of studies in COPD during the 1980s have been extrapolated to patients with other lung conditions.
The use of oxygen warning cards and wristbands can be beneficial in the community to prevent excessive oxygen therapy from being administered. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves inhaling pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an established treatment for decompression sickness, a potential diving risk.
In a review, we detailed the most relevant findings in animal models of hypoxia and reoxygenation by 21% versus 100%. For example, studies show that people with more severe COPD symptoms, including severe hypoxemia, get more benefits from supplemental oxygen therapy than people with milder COPD. As a result, studies in patients with mild to moderate COPD may not find the same decrease in mortality rates as a study of patients with more severe COPD would find. Some COPD patients need to use supplemental oxygen 24/7, while others only need to use it during specific activities that cause their blood oxygen levels to drop.
In addition to oxyhemoglobin saturation, the oxygen supply at the tissue level is affected by oxygen carrying force and circulation and can more directly reflect the oxygen supply or excess of the body. Finally, it is important to note that the findings of these studies may be largely related to the limited ability to keep SpO2 within the target range during usual care. Exposure to extreme levels of SpO2 may be more strongly related to observed results than to Hyperbare Sauerstofftherapie target ranges. In these studies, the actual SpO2 levels did not exactly match the target ranges, and exposure to extremely high or low SpO2 ranges may differ between the target ranges. In daily practice, during routine care, SpO2 levels above the target range are often tolerated to reduce hypoxemia, but this practice increases the high SpO2 exposure. Conversely, targeting lower spO2 ranges to prevent hyperoxemia may increase exposure to very low spO2 levels.
Other conditions treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include serious infections, air bubbles in blood vessels, and wounds that may not heal due to diabetes or a radiation injury. If your lung or heart disease improves and your blood oxygen levels return to normal ranges without supplemental oxygen, then you no longer need it. Chronic low levels of oxygen in the blood can also lead to a condition known as mild cognitive impairment, which is very common in people with respiratory diseases, especially advanced COPD.
When you have lung problems, not enough oxygen reaches your cells to keep your body and organs functioning as they should. Oxygen supplementation is a well-accepted therapy for hypoxemic patients because it increases the oxygen supply to cells and therefore is believed to reverse the effects of hypoxia. However, the value of oxygen therapy in patients with preserved oxygen saturation is unknown; in addition, it can even be dangerous under certain conditions (for example, in premature babies). As daunting as it is, the investment of time and resources required to meet the demand for oxygen supply is worth it. Support for the urgent expansion of medical oxygen will save lives by improving care for people with COVID-19, severe pneumonia and other conditions they need.