sade082

It's a flat out fallacy, folks. This is not true.  Editors Note:  The following is a guest post from an anonymous therapist. He said it was okay to publish his name. I decided to hold it to make sure he doesn't get into trouble and lose his job for being honest. I am soooooo tired of nurses taking patients off their oxygen because "they are retainers." The patient was wide awake and alert, and showed no signs of being lethargic, but based on a myth we are going to keep his sat at 85%. In the past I've tried to educate, but now I just roll my eyes and leave the room before I say something I might regret. This myth does not bode well, and never has, for patients. Two days ago the patient had sats in the mid 80s, and the doctor (my favorite doctor) said to increase the oxygen. So, with his permission, I placed the patient on a high flow nasal cannula ad 15 lpm. The patient was happy that he didn't have to wear a mask, and we were happy that he felt better due to ...

Originally published January 6, 2016. I was recently interviewed by Rebecca Knutsen, a staff writer working for Advance for Respiratory Therapists.  She said she was working on a brief article that explores when to administer oxygen to hypoxemic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. The following are her questions followed by my answers.   1.  Please describe hypoxic and hypercapnic drive : Hypercapnic Drive : The central chemoreceptors on the medulla monitors the partial pressure of arterial CO2 (PaCO2). A normal PaCO2 level is 35-45 mmHG. When PaCO2 is high (>45 mmHg) a signal is sent to the medulla oblongata at the base of the brain to speed up breathing in order to blow off excess PaCO2. When PaCO2 levels are low (<35 mmHg) a signal is sent to the medulla oblongata at the base of the brain to decrease breathing in order to allow PaCO2 to accumulate. This is the main drive to breathe. Hypoxic Drive : The peripheral chemoreceptors...