Use in acute conditions[edit]
Oxygen is widely used in emergency medicine, both in hospital and by emergency medical services or those giving advanced first aid.
In the pre-hospital environment, high flow oxygen is definitively indicated for use in resuscitation, major trauma, anaphylaxis, major haemorrhage, shock, active convulsions and hypothermia.[1][6]
It may also be indicated for any other patient where their injury or illness has caused hypoxaemia, although in this case oxygen flow should be moderated to achieve target oxygen saturation levels, based on pulse oximetry (with a target level of 94–98% in most patients, or 88–92% in COPD patients).[1]
For personal use, high concentration oxygen is used as home therapy to abort cluster headache attacks, due to its vaso-constrictive effects.[7]
Patients who are receiving oxygen therapy for hypoxemia following an acute illness or hospitalization should not routinely have a prescription renewal for continued oxygen therapy without a physician's re-assessment of the patient's condition.[8] If the patient has recovered from the illness, then the hypoxemia is expected to resolve and additional care would be unnecessary and a waste of resources.[8]