What about oxygen inhalation?

I. What is O₂ inhalation?

Oxygen inhalation is a treatment method to increase the partial pressure of arterial blood oxygen and the oxygen saturation of arterial blood by inhaling oxygen at a concentration higher than that in the air to correct hypoxia caused by various reasons.

II. Purpose of O₂ inhalation

1、To correct the state of hypoxia caused by various reasons, to improve the partial pressure of arterial blood oxygen and arterial blood oxygen saturation, and to increase the arterial blood oxygen content.

2、Promote the metabolism of tissues and maintain the normal level of the body.

III. Causes of O₂ inhalation after lung surgery

1, major surgery is likely to cause stress reactions in the body, and the patient's lung function is greatly affected, so oxygen should be inhaled.

2, lung surgery is mostly seen in general anesthesia, general anesthesia after the initial period of surgery patients have inspiratory forgetfulness, respiratory muscle role has not recovered, oxygen inhalation is conducive to enhance oxygen concentration.

3、If the role of inhalation is restricted after open-heart and open-heart surgery, oxygen must be inhaled.

4、The commonly used methods of O₂ inhalation are: nasal cannula and mask oxygen inhalation.

(1) Nasal catheter

The most commonly used method of oxygen administration in clinical practice. It is simple, inexpensive, comfortable and does not interfere with coughing, coughing, eating and talking.

How to use bilateral nasal cannula: insert the front end of the nasal oxygen tube into the nostril about 1cm, lead the two ends around to behind the ear, then from behind the ear to under the jaw, pull the nasal oxygen tube forward gently, then adjust the position of the adjustment buckle to be comfortable.

(2) Normal mask

An ordinary mask is usually made of plastic or silicone and is lighter in weight. Oxygen is fed in from the lower end and exhaled through the small holes in the mask. Even if the oxygen supply is temporarily suspended, there is no asphyxiation as air can still flow through the small holes in the mask and through the gaps around the mask.

How to use: The mask has an aluminium piece at the nose bridge and an elastic band on both sides of the mask, both of which can be adjusted to suit the individual.

What should I do during O₂ inhalation?

You do not need to breathe excessively during oxygen inhalation. Oxygen can be added naturally through breathing, with special attention to nasal catheter oxygen inhalation through the nose, and oxygen inhalation through the mouth and nose during mask inhalation.

V. Precautions during O₂ inhalation

1、Don't smoke when using oxygen, pay attention to shock-proof, fire-proof, oil-proof and heat-proof.

2、Please inform the nurse promptly when you have symptoms of nasal congestion.

3、When using oxygen, you should first adjust the flow rate, when stopping oxygen, first pull out the catheter, and then turn off the oxygen switch. However, for the safety of oxygen use, we should not adjust the switch by ourselves during use to avoid damage to lung tissue due to excessive oxygen flow rushing into the respiratory tract.

4、If you experience nausea, coughing or other uncomfortable symptoms during O₂ inhalation, you should inform the nurse immediately.

5、Please inform the nurse promptly if the water in the wetting bottle is less than one-third, or if it has been used for more than 7 days.

6、Please pay attention to prevent the oxygen inhalation device from being tilted due to the pulling of the nasal oxygen tube, causing choking and coughing.

7、Oxygen intake and eating do not affect each other, you can also take oxygen when eating.