precautions while using oxygen therapy

Precautions while using Oxygen Therapy

safety tips for preventing accidents when using oxygen therapy.
51. Record the Procedure on the Nursing Notes
Record the time the treatment was initiated, the method used, the rate of flow, and the patients response to treatment given. Oxygen therapy is a very safe and effective way to manage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) symptoms, but it requires certain precautions. Oxygen is a flammable gas, according to Livestrong.com, and should be handled accordingly. Its also important to always have enough oxygen on hand. If youre using a portable oxygen concentrator, take measures to ensure that youll have oxygen in the event of a power outage.
52. Manage the Patient and Equipment at Regular Intervals
53. AFETY PRECAUTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH OXYGEN THERAPY
A Post Oxygen and No Smoking signs. These signs should be posted on the cylinder in use, in oxygen storage areas, and at entrances to a ward or room where oxygen is in use. The chief danger in using oxygen is fire. The pressure of oxygen in increased concentrations makes all materials more combustible. Things that burn slowly in ordinary air will burn violently and even explosively in the presence of increased oxygen. b. Inform the patient and visitors of the requirement for no smoking and no open flames in the room. None of these should be a problem in the modern hospital since smoking is not allowed in any Army hospital or other federal buildings; however, in third world countries, this may not be the case.c. Ensure that oil or grease is not used around the oxygen fittings. (Petroleum based products will burn.) d. If an oxygen tank is used, secure it away from the door and high traffic areas to reduce potential unauthorized tampering of cylinder gauges and to reduce the possibility of the cylinder being knocked over and the valve being damaged or broke.
54. Medical intervention
Oxygen therapy is the administration of oxygen as a medical intervention, which can be for a variety of purposes in both chronic and acute patient care. Oxygen is essential for cell metabolism, and in turn, tissue oxygenation is essential for all normal physiological functions. High blood and tissue levels of oxygen can be helpful or damaging, depending on circumstances and oxygen therapy should be used to benefit the patient by increasing the supply of oxygen to the lungs and thereby increasing the availability of oxygen to the body tissues, especially when the patient is suffering from hypoxia and/or hypoxaemia.
55. Indications for use
Oxygen is used as a medical treatment in both chronic and acute cases, and can be used in hospital, pre hospital or entirely out of hospital, dependent on the needs of the patient and their medical professionals opinions. When possible, stay at least 6 feet away from heat sources and open flames when youre using oxygen, or when youre storing tanks.
56. Use in chronic conditions
A common use of supplementary oxygen is in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the occurrence of chronic bronchitis or emphysema, a common long term effect of smoking, who may require additional oxygen to breathe either during a temporary worsening of their condition, or throughout the day and night. It is indicated in COPD patients with PaO 2
57. Compressed gas storage
The oxygen gas is compressed in a gas cylinder, which provides a convenient storage, without the requirement for refrigeration found with liquid storage. Large oxygen cylinders hold 6,500 litres (230
58. Instant usage
The use of an electrically powered oxygen concentratorcite_ref 10cite_ref 10[10] or a chemical reaction based unit can create sufficient oxygen for a patient to use immediately, and these units (especially the electrically powered versions) are in widespread usage for home oxygen therapy and portable personal oxygen, with the advantage of being continuous supply without the need for additional deliveries of bulky cylinders.
59. Delivery
Various devices are used for administration of oxygen. In most cases, the oxygen will first pass through a pressure regulator, used to control the high pressure of oxygen delivered from a cylinder (or other source) to a lower pressure. This lower pressure is then controlled by a flowmeter, which may be preset or selectable, and this controls the flow in a measure such as litres per minute (lpm). The typical flowmeter range for medical oxygen is between 0 and 15 lpm with some units able to obtain up to 25 liters per minute. Many wall flowmeters using a Thorpe tube design are able to be dialed to flush which is beneficial in emergency situations.
60. Supplemental oxygen
Many patients require only a supplementary level of oxygen in the room air they are breathing, rather than pure or near pure oxygen, and this can be delivered through a number of devices dependent on the situation, flow required and in some instances patient preference.A nasal cannula (NC) is a thin tube with two small nozzles that protrude into the patients nostrils. It can only comfortably provide oxygen at low flow rates, 2