Oxygen Treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Treatment Overview

Oxygen therapy increases the amount of oxygen that flows into your lungs and bloodstream. If your COPD is very bad and your blood oxygen levels are low, getting more oxygen can help you breathe better and live longer.

There are several ways to deliver the oxygen. They include:

• Oxygen concentrators.
• Oxygen-gas cylinders.
• Liquid-oxygen devices.

You don't have to stay at home or in a hospital to use oxygen. Oxygen systems are portable. You can use them while you do your daily activities.

Do not smoke or vape or let others smoke or vape while you are using oxygen.

Do not use oxygen near open flames, anything that may spark, or anything flammable. If you or those who care for you smoke or vape, or if there are other risks for fire, it's important to think carefully before you decide to use oxygen therapy. Consider the risk of burns, fire, or explosion.

What To Expect

Oxygen therapy can make it easier for you to breathe and may help you live longer. When your body has more oxygen, your body systems can work better. You may be able to think more clearly, be more active, and have a better quality of life.

How Well It Works

Using oxygen for more than 15 hours a day may increase quality of life and may help people live longer when they have severe COPD and low blood levels of oxygen. Oxygen therapy may have good short-term and long-term effects in people who have COPD.

Risks

In most cases, there are no risks from oxygen therapy as long as you follow your doctor's instructions. But oxygen is a fire hazard, so make sure to follow safety rules.

• Do not smoke or vape or let others smoke or vape while you are using oxygen.
• Do not use oxygen near open flames, anything that may spark, or anything flammable.
• Make sure you are careful when you are moving around. You or someone else could trip and fall over the cords, oxygen tubing, or canisters.
• Avoid touching frost that can form on liquid oxygen devices. Frost can cause skin burns.

Oxygen is usually prescribed to raise the saturations to between 90% and 92%. Higher flow rates usually don't help. They can cause other serious problems in the body.