Hypoxia and Medicine

Is it true that oxygen therapy is only beneficial in one type of hypoxia?

Which type of hypoxia is it, and is there any research available on the subject?

Public Comments

1. Too much O2 can cause respiratory arrest and when we have a COPD patient in severe distress O2 is limited to two liters a minute by nasal catheter, or he is intubated and given O2 under pressure with regulation of O2 and CO2 by blood gases. I know of no type of hypoxia in which O2 is not useful.
2. difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia. Hypoxia is low oxygen levels available to the tissues, or the tissues are unable to use or receive the 02 that is available, as in sepsis, or pulmonary embolus. Hypoxemia is low 02 concentrations in the arterial blood. oxygen therapy could remedy hypoxemia by increasing the amount of 02 in the blood, but not fix hypoxia if the problem is using the oxygen, no matter how much is available..hope this helps....
3. Hypoxic hypoxia is the type of hypoxia caused by low PO2*, which can be treated by increasin PO2 (oxygen therapy), other kinds of hypoxia have nothing to do with low PO2 so it wouldnt help, actually it may worsen things to increase it, like in the case of anaemic hypoxia where there is inadequate hemoglubin available for transportation of O2, and cytotoxic hypoxia where circulatin O2 cannot be uptaken by tissue cells due to toxic effects of certain chemicals. *Partial pressure of oxygen. you can search for (types of hypoxia) anywhere, its an interestin sub.
4. Oxygen therapy is beneficial in all types of hypoxia, although special precautions have to be taken with severe COPD patients (so as not to knock out their drive to breathe) Some types of hypoxia will be helped better than others by supplemental oxygen therapy. For some people with shunting (caused by cardiac abnormalities, for example), supplemental oxygen is of little benefit, and the shunt must be fixed for oxygenation to improve.
5. The way you ask is very confusing, because hypoxia is just... hypoxia! I supposse you mean there is ONE particular situation where hypoxia can be aggravated by oxygen. That's the hypoxia patients with obstructive CHRONIC pulmonary disease (not acute) can suffer. In these cases, you still administer oxygen, although at very low ratios (5-10%, 1-2 L/m). But still, the treatment is to give oxygen.