The Detrimental Effects of Use of Oxygen Samples for Student

Question: Explain Detrimental Effects Of Use Of Oxygen? Answer: Introducation: Patients with acute coronary syndrome usually receive oxygen therapy during an emergency treatment. This is usually done by the paramedics before the patients first contact with a physician. However, there are recent studies that have suggested that the use of oxygen therapy may actually be doing more harm than good. This paper will look at the evidence that has brought about the changes to paramedical clinical practice in the treatment of the acute coronary syndrome. In a review published by the Cochrane collaboration (Cabello, Burls, Emparanza, Bayliss, Quinn, 2010), they analyzed the evidence from randomized controlled trials that compared the outcomes of patients who were given normal air and those who were given oxygen to breathe. The trials involved 387 patients out of which 14 died. Out of the 14 who died, three times as many people who were given oxygen died compared to those who were given normal air. The evidence suggests that oxygen could indeed be harmful and there is need to further evaluate to ensure the current practice is not harmful to individuals with acute coronary syndrome. In a recent trial report by Ranchord, Argyle Beynon (2011), they compared routine oxygen use and titrated oxygen therapy. There was only one death out of the 68patients that were treated with routine oxygen and 2 deaths out of the 68 of those treated with titrated oxygen therapy. An analysis carried out by the authors illustrate that there are other factors that could have affected the findings. According to Meier, Ebrahim, Otto, and cases (2013), the fact that these trials indicate the possibility of harm to the patients requires further investigation to ensure the safety of the patients with the acute coronary syndrome. The evidence illustrated above indicate that there is a possibility that the use of oxygen caused the deaths of the patients analyzed in the trials. It is, therefore, important to change the paramedic clinical practice in handling patients with the acute coronary syndrome. References Cabello, J. B., Burls, A., Emparanza, J. I., Bayliss, S., Quinn, T. (2010). Oxygen therapy for acute myocardial infarction. Sao Paulo Medical Journal, 128(6), 378-378. Meier, P., Ebrahim, S., Otto, C., Casas, J.P. (2013) Oxygen therapy in acute myocardial infarction good or bad? [Editorial]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews2013 ;( 8): 10.1002/14651858.ED000065 Ranchord, A.M, Argyle R., Beynon R. (2011) High-concentration versus titrated oxygen therapy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a pilot randomized controlled trial. American Heart Journal 2012; 163(2):168-175. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2011.10.013