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Oxygen Therapy
Your body needs oxygen to get or make energy from the food you eat. Your lungs deliver oxygen to your blood. If your lungs can't get enough oxygen to your blood, you can feel short of breath and very uncomfortable. Oxygen therapy can help.
The oxygen comes through nasal prongs, a mask, or a breathing tube. If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other types of lung diseases, you may have a portable oxygen tank or a machine in your home.
A different kind of oxygen therapy is called hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It uses oxygen at high pressure to treat wounds and serious infections.
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Oxygen Therapy(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Oxygen Therapy
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Overviews
- Oxygen Therapy(American Thoracic Society) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Oxygen Therapy(National Jewish Health)
- Why Do I Need Oxygen Therapy?(American Thoracic Society)
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Specific Conditions
- Home Oxygen Therapy(American Association for Respiratory Care)
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy(American Cancer Society)
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Supplemental Oxygen (Oxygen Therapy)(American Lung Association)
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Related Issues
- Fires and Burns Involving Home Medical Oxygen(National Fire Protection Association) - PDF
- Mechanical Ventilation(American Thoracic Society) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Respiratory Home Health Care(American Association for Respiratory Care)
- Supplemental Oxygen on Commercial Airlines (Beyond the Basics)(UpToDate)
- Traveling with Portable Oxygen(American College of Chest Physicians) - PDF
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Financial Issues
- New Rules for How Medicare Pays Suppliers for Oxygen Equipment(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - PDF
- What You Should Know If You Need Medicare-Covered Equipment or Supplies(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - PDF
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperbaric Oxygenation(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Oxygen Inhalation Therapy(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperbaric Oxygenation
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
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Children
- Oxygen Therapy for Children(American Thoracic Society) - PDF
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Patient Handouts
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Also available in Spanish
- Oxygen safety
- Also available in Spanish
- Traveling with breathing problems
- Also available in Spanish
- Using oxygen at home
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
