oxygen

[angie]

anyone know what would happen if someone on oxygen 24/7 with advanced emphysema currently on 2litres. what would happen if they turned it up to 5litres ? i also have a cannister i could add to it to make it 7 litres ,any idea if it could kill someone . any info would be helpfull .

 

[autumnal]

anyone know what would happen if someone on oxygen 24/7 with advanced emphysema currently on 2litres. what would happen if they turned it up to 5litres ? i also have a cannister i could add to it to make it 7 litres ,any idea if it could kill someone . any info would be helpfull .

I thought I'd seen every question, but overdosing on oxygen is a new one, at least for me

Increasing the flow rate within normal levels isn't going to have any influence on a normal healthy person. However in someone with COPD such as emphysema, it can cause respiratory depression and possibly death. See link below.

Note that adding extra connected canisters doesn't necessarily increase the overall flow rate reaching the patient.

Effect of oxygen on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[angie]

I thought I'd seen every question, but overdosing on oxygen is a new one, at least for me

Increasing the flow rate within normal levels isn't going to have any influence on a normal healthy person. However in someone with COPD such as emphysema, it can cause respiratory depression and possibly death. See link below.

Note that adding extra connected canisters doesn't necessarily increase the overall flow rate reaching the patient.

Effect of oxygen on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I read that article but doesn't say if a person would be gasping for air or that and how long it would take to die if it's possible.
I'll have to keep digging for info .
I'm pleased i've added something new and different to the group lol

 

[Soul]

@angie, I'm in pretty much the same situation healthwise. I was hospitalized in 2018 in a hypercapnic coma, which they said was caused by a cold-type infection that led me to increase my oxygen to 3+ liters per minute, and that somehow caused the hypercapnic coma. I don't understand the mechanics of it (the doctor was one of those that got offended any time I had a question), nor why the coma was so blissful when hypercapnia is supposed to trigger suffocation and panic - but there it was. It was like a private film festival! I enjoyed the hell out of it ... but it didn't kill me. Apparently it could have if I hadn't been put on a ventilator.

Have you ever been told you're co2 retentive? Apparently that was a key ingredient in my reaction. I'm pretty sure turning up the oxygen wouldn't in itself cause such extreme effects, but I'll gladly research it with you.

 

[Soul]

@autumnal, thanks for that wikipedia link. I think I understand the mechanisms better now, although it's pretty counterintuitive.

It sounds like an exacerbation of respiratory problems and being co2-retentive are both prerequisites to achieving toxic hypercapnia by increasing oxygen input.