Oxygen Therapy: Treatment, Effects & Risks

Oxygen therapy can be administered in various forms. In this regard, all treatment concepts aim to provide a patient with an adequate supply of oxygen.

What is oxygen therapy?

Within the framework of oxygen therapy performed according to a doctor’s order, additional oxygen is supplied to the organism in various ways. Within the framework of oxygen therapy carried out according to a doctor’s order, additional oxygen is supplied to the organism in various ways. Oxygen therapy does not replace natural breathing, but increases a patient’s oxygen supply. As a rule, oxygen therapy is suitable for the treatment of persons whose cells are only supplied with oxygen to a limited extent. Depending on the state of health of a patient, the forms of medically useful oxygen therapy differ – a distinction must be made here, for example, between long-term and so-called multi-step treatment. While a patient in the course of a long-term oxygen therapy is usually supplied with oxygen daily for about 16 – 24 hours, multi-step concepts include, for example, several therapy sessions, each of which extends over a period of about 2 hours. Administration of oxygen for the purpose of oxygen therapy can be accomplished with the aid of oxygen goggles, masks, or nasal probes, among other devices.

Function, effect, and goals

Oxygen therapy can be used for a variety of conditions that occur as a result of oxygen deficiency. The corresponding complaints include, for example, states of shortness of breath, pronounced and persistent daytime fatigue, and/or a blue discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes (in medicine, the latter phenomenon is also known as cyanosis). Short-term oxygen therapy can also be useful after various surgical procedures – in this way, an oxygen deficiency in tissue can be prevented. Possible factors that may require the use of oxygen therapy are, for example, existing functional disorders of the lungs, anemia (a deficiency of red blood cells responsible for oxygen transport), restrictions of the respiratory muscles or shock conditions. One of the main goals of oxygen therapy is to enrich the inhaled air with oxygen so that the latter can enter the arterial blood. To ensure that the necessary oxygen administration can be adapted to individual requirements, a so-called blood gas analysis is usually first carried out on the affected patient in the run-up to treatment – such an analysis can provide information about the current oxygen concentration in the blood. If a multi-step oxygen therapy is carried out, an affected person is usually supplied with vitamins and substances for vasodilatation beforehand. In this way, the body’s own oxygen uptake can be increased. Exercise training that accompanies oxygen therapy also serves to strengthen the organism’s ability to absorb oxygen. Like multistep oxygen therapy, long-term oxygen therapy is performed mainly with the help of a mask or a special probe. In rare cases, oxygen therapy may also require a tracheal catheter. In the home environment, the oxygen needed for long-term oxygen therapy is often obtained via oxygen concentrators – leaving the house for a short time is possible with the help of an additional pressurized gas cylinder. Very mobile patients often have a liquid oxygen system available for the purpose of oxygen therapy, which has a transportable tank.

Risks, side effects, and hazards

The delivery of oxygen therapy may be associated with various side effects. For example, long-term oxygen therapy leads to drying of the nasal mucosa in many patients. Such drying of the mucous membranes can be prevented, for example, with the aid of a gas humidifier or the use of nourishing lotions. If oxygen therapy is not carried out using an oxygen-air mixture, but instead pure oxygen is administered to the patient, therapy sessions that are too long can result in complaints such as dizziness, headaches, nausea and/or vomiting. For this reason, appropriate oxygen therapy using pure oxygen is usually only carried out in facilities equipped for emergency medicine.To reduce general safety risks that may be associated with oxygen therapy, various rules must be observed when handling oxygen cylinders. For example, the cylinders should be properly secured to prevent them from falling over. Experts also urge people to refrain from smoking in the vicinity of an oxygen cylinder, as oxygen can have a fire-accelerating effect. Cylinders used for oxygen therapy should only be transported with the valve closed and protected from direct exposure to heat and sunlight. Last but not least, if an oxygen cylinder malfunctions, it is recommended to refrain from independent repair attempts.