Oxygen is one of the most important emergency drugs. It is requried by the body to facilitate the breakdown of glucose into usable energy form. It is orderless, colorless, and tasteless.
Mechanisim of Action
Administration increases arterial oxygen tension. This increases the oxygen saturation available for hemoglobin. Required by the cells for breaking down glucose into energy
Indications
Hypoxemia, Chest Pain, Cardiac arrest, Trauma
Contrainindications
None in the emergency setting
Precautions
Pt's with COPD may experience apnea. They dependon the amount of Oxygen and not carbon dioxide in the blood. Do not withhold oxygen from any patient who needs it. Prolonged administration of high qualities of oxygen to newborn infants can result in eye damage.
Dosage and Administration
Cardiac Arrest-100% or as close to that as possible (BVM);
Hypoxia-100% or as close as possible (BVM or 15 LPM NRB);