Always Remember These Five Points For Long-term Oxygen Therapy
Always Remember These Five Points For Long-term Oxygen Therapy
As the course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease progresses, many patients suffer from hypoxemia. If the long-term hypoxemia is not corrected, there is a possibility that pulmonary heart disease may eventually occur.
Research has shown that long-term oxygen therapy is one of the main factors affecting the prognosis of pulmonary heart disease. So what are the precautions for long-term oxygen therapy?
❶ Inhalation gas humidification
Oxygen discharged from compressed oxygen cylinders is mostly <40% humidity, so when inhaling oxygen at low flow rates, a bubble-type humidifying cylinder should also be connected.
❷ Safety of Oxygen Therapy
The oxygen concentration of the gas produced by the oxygen concentrator is usually more than 90%, and oxygen is a flammable gas, therefore, it is not advisable to place the oxygen concentrator near sources of heat and fire, and special attention should be paid to the prohibition of smoking at the same time as oxygen therapy or around the oxygen concentrator.
❸ Prevention of infection
Oxygen supply devices and humidification devices including nasal oxygen tubing and humidification bottles should be sterilized regularly. It is recommended that humidifying bottles be cleaned once every 3 days; primary filter cotton be replaced or cleaned every 100 hours; and nasal oxygen tubing be replaced every 2-3 months.
❹ Comprehensive treatment
Oxygen therapy can only correct hypoxemia and improve tissue hypoxia; therefore, COPD should be treated with comprehensive therapeutic measures such as physical fitness enhancement, respiratory muscle exercise, and the use of bronchodilators in order to better improve the prognosis of patients with pulmonary heart disease.
❺ Regular home visits
Pay attention to changes in the patient's condition, according to medical conditions, patients are instructed to follow up in the outpatient clinic once a month or once every three months, observe symptoms, signs, test hemoglobin content, red blood cell count, hematocrit, lung function and blood gas analysis.