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What Level Of Oxygen Must Be Used By A COPD Patient?

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Posted on Mon, 14 Mar 2016
Question: What level of oxygen should I use if my sats drop below 88 percent when sleeping?
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Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (21 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
the lowest effective dose

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

although you haven't mentioned it, I suppose you've got COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), right?
In patients with COPD the usage of oxygen should match the patient's needs but not exceed them to avoid increasing carbon dioxide in your blood. You can start with 0.5 or 1L/min and increase it according to your saturation. The lowest acceptable level of saturation is 90% but you'd better aim for 92%. There is no reason to go higher than that.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.

Kind Regards!

Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 3810 Questions

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What Level Of Oxygen Must Be Used By A COPD Patient?

Brief Answer: the lowest effective dose Detailed Answer: Hello, although you haven't mentioned it, I suppose you've got COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), right? In patients with COPD the usage of oxygen should match the patient's needs but not exceed them to avoid increasing carbon dioxide in your blood. You can start with 0.5 or 1L/min and increase it according to your saturation. The lowest acceptable level of saturation is 90% but you'd better aim for 92%. There is no reason to go higher than that. I hope you find my comments helpful! You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information. Kind Regards!