Oxygen concentrator Health Dictionary

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Oxygen Concentrator: From 1 Different Sources

An appliance used in oxygen therapy that separates oxygen from the air and mixes it back in at a greater concentration. This oxygenenriched air is delivered through a tube for prolonged inhalation. The appliance is used by people who have persistent hypoxia due to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (see pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive). (See also hyperbaric oxygen treatment.)
Health Source: BMA Medical Dictionary
Author: The British Medical Association

Oxygen

A colourless and odourless gas of molecular weight 32. It constitutes just less than 21 per cent of the earth’s atmosphere. As a medical gas, it is supplied in the UK compressed at high pressure (13,600 kilopascals (KPa)) in cylinders which are black with white shoulders. In hospitals, oxygen is often stored as a liquid in insulated tanks and controlled evaporation allows the gas to be supplied via a pipeline at a much lower pressure.

Oxygen is essential for life. It is absorbed via the lungs (see RESPIRATION) and is transported by HAEMOGLOBIN within the ERYTHROCYTES to the tissues. Within the individual cell it is involved in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that stores chemical energy for muscle cells, by the oxidative metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. HYPOXIA causes anaerobic metabolism with a resulting build-up in LACTIC ACID, the result of muscle cell activity. If severe enough, the lack of ATP causes a breakdown in cellular function and the death of the individual.

When hypoxia occurs, it may be corrected by giving supplemental oxygen. This is usually given via a face mask or nasal prongs or, in severe cases, during ARTIFICIAL VENTILATION OF THE LUNGS. Some indications for oxygen therapy are high altitude, ventilatory failure, heart failure, ANAEMIA, PULMONARY HYPERTENSION, CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) poisoning, anaesthesia and post-operative recovery. In some conditions – e.g. severe infections with anaerobic bacteria and CO poisoning – hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used.... oxygen

Oxygen Tent

A sheet of plastic put over a hospital bed with OXYGEN fed into it so that a patient can receive oxygen. Such treatment may be for a heart or lung condition in which the normal atmospheric concentration of oxygen is insu?cient to enable the person to oxygenate the blood ?owing through the lungs to a normal level, so extra oxygen is provided in the patient’s immediate surroundings.... oxygen tent

Oxygen Deficit

In a resting individual the potential OXYGEN supply to the tissues is greater than its consumption. During heavy exercise, the energy required by the tissues is greater than can be supplied by aerobic cellular metabolism and the additional energy is supplied by a biochemical reaction called anaerobic metabolism. There is a build-up of lactate – a product of LACTIC ACID

– from anaerobic metabolism which is ultimately oxidised after conversion to citrate and metabolism via the citric acid cycle. The increased amount of oxygen above resting concentrations which needs to be consumed to perform this metabolism is known as the oxygen debt or de?cit.... oxygen deficit

Oxygen Toxicity

OXYGEN toxicity in human lungs causes an acute OEDEMA followed by ?brosis and PULMONARY HYPERTENSION. In the neonate, retrolental ?broplasia occurs and centralnervous-system damage may result in the infant having ?ts. Several factors are involved in toxicity and there is no absolute relationship to time or concentration, although inspired concentrations of under 50 per cent are probably safe for long periods.... oxygen toxicity

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment

A method of increasing the amount of oxygen in the tissues.

This is achieved by placing a person in a special chamber and exposing him or her to oxygen at a much higher atmospheric pressure than normal.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is used to treat poisoning from carbon monoxide and in cases of gas gangrene.... hyperbaric oxygen treatment

Oxygen Therapy

The process of supplying a person with oxygen-enriched air to relieve severe hypoxia (inadequate oxygen in body tissues). The oxygen is usually delivered through a face-mask or a nasal cannula (a length of narrow plastic tubing with two prongs that are inserted into the nostrils). Piped oxygen is used in hospitals; oxygen in cylinders can be used at home for acute attacks of hypoxia, such as those occurring in severe asthma. Long-term therapy for people with persistent hypoxia may involve the use of an oxygen concentrator.

(See also hyperbaric oxygen treatment.)... oxygen therapy

Oxygen Deficit

a physiological condition that exists in cells during periods of temporary oxygen shortage. During periods of violent exertion the body requires extra energy, which is obtained by the breakdown of glucose in the absence of oxygen, after the available oxygen has been used up. The breakdown products are acidic and cause muscle pain. The oxygen required to get rid of the breakdown products (called the oxygen deficit) must be made available after the exertion stops.... oxygen deficit

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