What is the maximum amount of oxygen a patient can be given?

What is the maximum amount of oxygen a patient can be given?

Oxygen should be prescribed to achieve a target saturation of 94–98% for most acutely ill patients or 88–92% for those at risk of hypercapnic respiratory failure (tables 1–3). The target saturation should be written (or ringed) on the drug chart (guidance in fig 1).

How much oxygen do you administer?

The BTS (2007) recommends target saturations for the administration of all emergency oxygen therapy. They recommend that oxygen should be prescribed to achieve a target saturation of 94–98% for patients aged <70 and 92–98% for those 70 or above. The exception is patients with COPD or respiratory failure (see below).

When do you give oxygen to a patient?

When the oxygen saturation falls below 89 percent, or the arterial oxygen pressure falls below 60 mmHg — whether during rest, activity, sleep or at altitude — then supplemental oxygen is needed.

Is 4l of oxygen a lot?

So if a patient is on 4 L/min O2 flow, then he or she is breathing air that is about 33 – 37% O2. The normal practice is to adjust O2 flow for patients to be comfortably above an oxygen blood saturation of 90% at rest. It is often, however, the case that patients need more oxygen for exercise.

What should the oxygen saturation be for type 2 respiratory failure?

The importance of recognition of patients at risk of type 2 respiratory failure is highlighted and, in such patients, a target saturation range of 88–92% is recommended. Why is a guideline for emergency oxygen necessary?

Why is oxygen supplementation important in acute ventilatory failure?

However, in acute and chronic ventilatory failure, oxygen supplementation is essential to maintain adequate delivery of oxyhaemoglobin to organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brain. Many patients who are chronically hypoxic are able to cope satisfactorily with an oxygen saturation of arterial blood of around 90%.

What should the blood oxygen level be at start of treatment?

Until blood gases can be measured, initial oxygen should be given using a controlled concentration of 24% or 28%, titrated towards a target oxygen saturation of 88–92% or the level specified on the patient’s oxygen alert cardif available.

When to stop oxygen therapy for chronic lung disease?

• Discuss with the medical officer prior to reduction or ceasing of oxygen therapy in patients with severe chronic lung disease or other conditions at risk of Hypercapnoeic failure. • Oxygen therapy shall cease when the patient is able to maintain oxygen saturation in the target range when breathing room air.

When to use oxygen for acute type II respiratory failure?

The need for controlled oxygen therapy for those at risk of developing acute type II respiratory failure is now well recognised and has resulted in both regional (Murphy et al, 2001a; Murphy et al, 2001b) and national guidelines for emergency oxygen use in adult patients (BTS, 2007).

What should the oxygen saturation be for COPD patients?

They recommend that oxygen should be prescribed to achieve a target saturation of 94–98% for patients aged <70 and 92–98% for those 70 or above. The exception is patients with COPD or respiratory failure (see below).

Which is the most common type of respiratory failure?

The most common type of respiratory failure is type 1, or hypoxemic respiratory failure (failure to exchange oxygen), indicated by a Pao 2 value below 60 mm Hg with a normal or low Paco 2 value. In ICU patients, the most common causes of type 1 respiratory failure are V/Q mismatching and shunts.

What happens if you use oxygen in the emergency room?

The injudicious use of oxygen leading to respiratory acidosis may result in the patient requiring mechanical ventilation.