Oxygen Use

Why Oxygen is Important

Oxygen plays a vital role in the treatment of patients. Oxygen is the molecule that helps the cells in our body produce ATP through a process known as cellular respiration. Also it is the number one drug of choice for the American heart association. Finally it is a priority according to the universal care protocols in the protocol book given to flight medics in USAAAD at Fort Polk. In short Oxygen is important for the medics to use.

To start off with oxygen helps sustain life in all living things by a process known as cellular respiration. Cells need oxygen to make a substance known as ATP or adenosine triphosphate. This chemical is found in every cell in the human body and essential to maintaining life. The process starts on inhalation where we breathe in oxygen from the atmosphere, which is comprised of approximately twenty one percent oxygen. Of these twenty one percent humans one needs about six to seven percent of that oxygen and exhales approximately fifteen to sixteen percent of it. So we inhale the oxygen into our lungs, which is then exchanged at the alveoli to the capillaries that are attached to them. It does this by bonding to the hemoglobin that is in the red blood cells. It then makes its way to the heart. Once it makes it to the heart it is then pumped throughout the body. By means of arteries, arterioles and capillaries. The capillaries then deliver it to the cells in the body. The body then expels the carbon dioxide in to the bloodstream to replace the oxygen and is carried out of the body. The Cells then use the oxygen as a catalyst to oxidize the chemicals that our body uses to create chemical energy. It does this because it acts as an electro acceptor. And thus metabolizes and helps create energy for the body. The fact that the oxygen does this makes it essential for life.
Also oxygen is the number one drug of choice according to the American Heart Association. The reasoning behind this is that that the brain uses approximately 15 percent of the oxygen in the body and the heart uses about 7 percent. This is because these to organs are poor with aerobic metabolism and need a constant supply of oxygen. So when resuscitating somebody it is important to keep them breathing so that the heart and brain can get as much oxygen as possible.
Finally the protocol book that USAAAD maintains has a protocol in it called the universal patient care protocol. In this protocol it states that if a patient has a pulse oximetry reading of less than 94 percent to consider oxygen therapy. This is important because nearly every protocol refers back to the patient care protocol. According to ITLS the if the patient is symptomatic with a oxygen saturation of less than 95 percent you should administer it to the patient.

All in all oxygen plays a vital role in the treatment of patients. Oxygen is the molecule that helps the cells in our body produce ATP through a process known as cellular respiration. Also it is the number one drug of choice for the American heart association. Finally it is a priority according to the universal care protocols in the protocol book given to flight medics in USAAAD at Fort Polk. In short Oxygen is important for the medics to use.

References:

ITLS book

ACLS guidelines

USAAAD protocol book

www.oxygen-review.com/human-body.html‎

References: ITLS book ACLS guidelines USAAAD protocol book www.oxygen-review.com/human-body.html‎