Elkan Wan
December, 12, 2009
Oxygen therapy: relation to stress management
Alternative medicine/therapy research project
WHAT IS OXYGEN THERAPY?
Oxygen therapy is an administration of oxygen to patients as medical treatment. It sends a concentration of oxygen greater in the room to treat patients that does not have enough oxygen in their blood, regulates the patients’ breathing and fasten their metabolism. Oxygen therapy is classified as portable and ambulatory which means for emergency use. Oxygen therapy can be administrated through mask, nasal cannula and tent. There is also another special type of oxygen therapy known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy which involves placing the patient in an airtight chamber with oxygen under pressure.
PURPOSE
Human beings breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. However, if we are somehow breathe in less oxygen and keeps more carbon dioxide in our body, then we may have hypoxemia, not enough oxygen in our blood. Without enough oxygen in our blood, the body’s function will not work or function properly and in severe conditions you may suffocate and pass out. This is where oxygen therapy comes in; the purpose of oxygen therapy is to treat those who have respiratory problems. The therapy’s objective is to send a constant supply of oxygen into the blood stream, providing the body with enough oxygen saturation to function properly. Those who have hypoxemia will have a major change in their body such as heart beats will reduce back to the normal speed, reduce short intake of breathes and constant dizziness if they take oxygen therapy. Other than hypoxemia, oxygen therapy is also used to treat:
• Severe respiratory distress such as acute asthma or pneumonia
• Severe trauma
• Obstructive pulmonary disease
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Shock, distress and anxiety
• Short term aesthesia recovery
ACUTE AND CHRONIC CONDITION
Acute and chronic conditions are medical terms for their current medical conditions. Acute condition means the patient would have near life fatal conditions and chronic conditions means the patient has a long-term disease such as asthma.
OXYGEN THERAPY IN ACUTE CONDITION
In acute condition, oxygen therapy is used in ambulatory cases where the patients’ life is threatened by their disease or injury. High flow of oxygen would admit to the patients for resuscitations, trauma, anxiety, shock, convulsion and hypothermia. This high flow of oxygen would speed up the body’s metabolism, allowing the body to recover faster. The oxygen is mostly delivered by a compressed oxygen system for easier transport. The oxygen is stored as a gas in a tank. A flow meter attached to the side of the tank to adjust the flow of oxygen. They are varied from large tanks to small portable tanks. The oxygen from the tank would then deliver to the patient via a mask that covers the nose and the mouth.
OXYGEN THERAPY IN CHRONIC CONDITION
Oxygen therapy is commonly use in chronic conditions because nowadays, there are many people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This long-term disease may be cause by long-term smoking or old age. With their lungs damaged, oxygen is harder to be intake by the person. Supplement oxygen would be supply to the patient from tanks of oxygen.
HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes healing by delivering high concentration of pure oxygen into the affected areas of the body. During the treatment, the patient enters an airtight chamber. Pure oxygen then sends into the chamber for the patient to breathe for a set amount of time. The time for the treatment varies for every patient depending on their condition.
OXYGEN DELIVERY SYSTEM
- In the hospital, outlets are set in the wall; oxygen would be supplied to the patients via this outlet. The oxygen flow would be regulating by a flow meter beside the outlet.
- Compressed oxygen- oxygen gas stored in a tank. Flow meter attached to the tank to adjust oxygen flow. Tank size varies from large to small portable ones. Only for patients who do not need constant flow of oxygen
- Liquid oxygen-oxygen that is stored in a large tank that stays in homes. Small portable tank would be filled with liquid oxygen from the large tanks and be used for the patient.
- Oxygen concentrator- a suitcase size of electric oxygen delivery system. It extracts oxygen from the room and delivered to the patient by nasal cannula- tubes that extends into a patients nose- a cylinder of oxygen is provided as a fail-safe plan in case of electric failure.
PREPARATION AND PATIENT EDUCATION AT HOME
All these oxygen therapy is required for a doctor’s permission to use it, except for emergency use. Tests have to be run by physicians such as blood gas measurements, pulse oximetry and clinical observation to see if the patient requires oxygen therapy. If the patient does need oxygen therapy, doctors will prescribe the amount of supplement oxygen you will need in each day. With these prescribed, the physicians will educate the patient the safe use of supplement oxygen at home.
- No combustible products permitted when supplement oxygen in use
- Functioning smoke and fire detectors should be in the home at all time
- Keep the equipment clean and dust-free
- Oxygen tanks must be kept in a dust-free area
RISK IN USING OXYGEN THERAPY
Although oxygen therapy is not addictive and does not promote side effects when in use, there are still chances that the patient may have complications in using oxygen therapy. Fortunately, these chances are not frequent and they are only caused by inappropriate usage such as oxygen overuse. Here are some symptoms:
- Frequent headaches
- Anxiety
- Blue lips or fingertips
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Restlessness
RELATION TO STRESS MANAGEMENT
Oxygen therapy is largely used in calming the patients’ mind and their injuries. In emergency cases, supplement oxygen is induced to patients who are in distress or shock. With the supplement oxygen, the minds of the patients will gradually become clearer with more oxygen in their body. With more oxygen flow in their blood stream, the patients would gradually overcome their fogginess or confusion and soon aware of their situation. At the beach or swimming pool, the first aid offices provide a small tank of oxygen in case the lifeguards cannot overcome the victim’s shock with their techniques. Every ambulance must have a tank of supplement oxygen due to the fact that they receive a majority of their victims with a case of shock.
With oxygen therapy being used in stress management; it prevents the stage of stress from completion. With the patients is exhausted due to their relentless resistance to the external force or their own ailments, oxygen therapy can prevent the stage of exhaustion from happening. With supplement oxygen, the stress in the patient’s mind would alleviate due to large concentration of oxygen flow in the body. Symptoms of exhaustion would gradually disappear such as reduction of quick and short intake of breathes and regulation of heart beats.
Figure 1: canisters of oxygen for chronic conditions
Figure 2: a portable compressed oxygen tank
Figure 3: a doctor prescribing oxygen therapy
Figure 4: the result of hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Figure 5: diagram of an oxygen concentrator
Figure 6: a hyperbaric chamber
REFERENCES:
“oxygen therapy .” surgery encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. .
“It’s Your Health – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.” Welcome to the Health Canada Web site | Bienvenue au site Web de Santé Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. .
“Oxygen therapy – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.”Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2009.
” Oxygen Therapy: Rehabilitation for Lung and Airway Disorders: Merck Manual Home Edition .” Merck & Co., Inc. – We believe the most important condition is the human one.. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2009.
Yutsis, Pavel I.. Oxygen to the Rescue: Oxygen Therapies and How They Help Overcome Disease, Promote Repair, and Improve Overall Function. 1 ed. philadelphia: Basic Health Publications, 2003. Print.
