What Is Oxygen Therapy  [ Return to  About Oxygen Therapy  ]

Specific tests are used to measure the level of oxygen in your blood. Supplemental oxygen is then used to raise these oxygen levels to acceptable values. Studies have demonstrated the benefit of using oxygen therapy to reduce stress on your heart, to improve exercise tolerance, and to improve your quality of life. For the purpose of this information, we will discuss oxygen therapy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Since two landmark studies - the NOTT study and the British MRC Multicenter Trial - were published, thousands of people in Australia have benefited from continuous or nocturnal oxygen therapy. Home oxygen therapy provides effective and economical treatment of hypoxemia in patients with COPD.

These studies have demonstrated that continuous supplemental oxygen:

• Relieves chronic and nocturnal hypoxia.
• Reduces elevated hematocrit.
• Decreases pulmonary vascular pressure.
• Improves exercise tolerance.
• Improves quality of life and brain function.
• May prevent progression of pulmonary hypertension and subsequent cor-pulmonale.
• Improves survival rate.

Notice: All medical and therapeutic information and advice contained on this website is necessarily general in nature and may not be appropriate to your particular condition. Consequently, we caution all our readers that the information and advice contained on this website should be acted or relied upon only after consultation with your physician or health care professional.

Supplemental oxygen therapy has been prescribed to increase the level of oxygen in your blood. It may be ordered for short-term or long-term use. Oxygen is a medication and must be used exactly as your doctor has prescribed. It is not addictive and is used to improve the quality of your life.

Oxygen is a clear, odourless, non-flammable gas. It does, however, support combustion ( fire ) and therefore you must follow the safety instructions provided by your Air Liquide Healthcare professional.