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Review
. 2013 Apr 18;17(2):313.
doi: 10.1186/cc12554.

The potential harm of oxygen therapy in medical emergencies

Alexander D Cornet, Albertus J Kooter, Mike J L Peters, Yvo M Smulders
Review

The potential harm of oxygen therapy in medical emergencies

Alexander D Cornet et al. Crit Care. .

Abstract

In medical emergencies, supplemental oxygen is often administrated routinely. Most paramedics and physicians believe that high concentrations of oxygen are life-saving 1. Over the last century, however, a plethora of studies point to possible detrimental effects of hyperoxia induced by supplemental oxygen in a variety of medical emergencies. This viewpoint provides a historical overview and questions the safety of routine high-dose oxygen administration and is based on pathophysiology and (pre)clinical findings in various medical emergencies.

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Comment in

  • A little less saturation?
    Ligtenberg JJ, Stolmeijer R, Broekema JJ, ter Maaten JC, Zijlstra JG. Ligtenberg JJ, et al. Crit Care. 2013 Jun 19;17(3):439. doi: 10.1186/cc12726. Crit Care. 2013. PMID: 23809404 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Hyperoxic damage and the need for optimised oxygenation practices.
    Hayes RA, Shekar K, Fraser JF. Hayes RA, et al. Crit Care. 2013 Jul 25;17(4):441. doi: 10.1186/cc12802. Crit Care. 2013. PMID: 23890474 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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