COPD Treatment Complete Guide to Oxygen Therapy Oxygen Therapy Benefits, Safety Tips, and More By Deborah Leader, RN Deborah Leader RN, PHN, is a registered nurse and medical writer who focuses on COPD. Learn about our editorial process Deborah Leader, RN Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Sanja Jelic, MD on September 20, 2020 Sanja Jelic, MD is board-certified in pulmonary disease, sleep medicine, critical care medicine, and internal medicine. She is an assistant professor and attending physician at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, NY. Learn about our Medical Review Board Sanja Jelic, MD on September 20, 2020 Print If you've been prescribed supplemental oxygen, you're probably wondering about how to safely use it and more importantly, how it will benefit you as a COPD patient. The following complete guide to oxygen therapy details everything you've ever wanted to know about oxygen, but were afraid to ask: Facts About Oxygen Therapy Science Photo Library/Getty Images The air we breathe contains about 21% oxygen. For people with healthy lungs, this is generally sufficient. But for people with COPD and other chronic health conditions, it's sometimes not enough. That's where supplemental oxygen comes in. Get the facts about oxygen therapy and find out how you should use it. Benefits of Oxygen Therapy Photodisc/Getty Images Studies suggest that there are a number of barriers to using supplemental oxygen for some patients. Whether it be people are self-conscious about using it or they don't understand its perceived benefit, reasons for non-adherence to oxygen therapy are many. If you, or someone you know, find it challenging to use oxygen as prescribed, take a look at the many benefits of oxygen therapy and you may just change your mind. Oxygen Safety Tips Steffe/Flickr.com Is it okay to smoke around oxygen? What about using your electric razor? Questions regarding oxygen safety generally abound when someone is prescribed supplemental oxygen. Find out the answers to these questions and more in the following guide to oxygen safety. Oxygen Emergency Tips Steve McNew/Getty Images Whether it be thunder and lightning or extreme heat and drought, severe weather always seems to increase the risk of power outages. And while most people wouldn't bat an eye during a power outage, people dependent upon electricity for supplemental oxygen have reason to take them a bit more serious. Discover how to create an emergency response plan in the event your power goes out. Which Oxygen Supplies Will Medicare Pay For? Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Medicare will generally pay for some in-home supplemental oxygen supplies if you meet certain criteria. What requirements must you meet? The primary requirement is that you have a breathing condition that will improve by using supplemental oxygen. Check out what the other requirements are in this comprehensive guide to medical oxygen and Medicare. Traveling With Oxygen By Airplane egdigital/istockphoto.com Traveling with oxygen by airplane has never been easier, thanks to the United States Department of Transportation. It's true that now, you can carry your own oxygen concentrator aboard all U.S. domestic flights and international flights beginning or ending in the United States, but they must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. Learn which concentrators are approved and what other steps you need to take when traveling with oxygen by airplane. Does Mouth Breathing Affect Oxygen Saturation Levels? David Becker/Getty Images The most common method of oxygen delivery is through the nasal cannula. But if you're a mouth-breather, will administering oxygen through a nasal cannula still be effective? Learn more about the impact of mouth breathing on oxygen saturation levels. Oxy-View Oxygen Therapy Glasses Susie Lawson Do you dislike wearing a traditional nasal cannula? Are you looking for an oxygen delivery system that doesn't draw too much attention? If you've answered yes to any one of these questions, then Oxy-view oxygen therapy glasses may be for you. Unlike a traditional nasal cannula, Oxy-view delivers oxygen effectively, in a manner that is barely noticeable. To find out more about Oxy-view, read the following full review. Transtracheal Oxygen Therapy Image courtesy of Transtracheal Systems Transtracheal oxygen therapy (TTOT) is a method of administering oxygen directly into the trachea by way of a small, plastic catheter. TTOT is intended for delivery of oxygen of up to 6 liters per minute and is primarily used as an alternative treatment for only a select group of patients. Find out if you're a candidate for TTOT. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Stoller JK, Panos RJ, Krachman S, Doherty DE, Make B; Long-term Oxygen Treatment Trial Research Group. Oxygen therapy for patients with COPD: current evidence and the long-term oxygen treatment trial. Chest. 2010;138(1):179–187. doi:10.1378/chest.09-2555 Gupta S, Jani CB. Oxygen cylinders: "life" or "death"?. Afr Health Sci. 2009;9(1):57–60. PMID: 20842245 Earnest MA. Explaining adherence to supplemental oxygen therapy: the patient's perspective. 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