too much oxygen causes vasoconstriction?

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  1. by Sep 8, '11
    Somebody at work told me that too much supplemental oxygen can cause vasoconstriction. I can't find anything on this with a quick Google. Has anyone ever heard of this before?
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    by sister s Sep 8, '11 5:56 am
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  3. 2 Comments so far...

  4. Sep 8, '11 by
    No. You _might_ reduce the drive to breathe.
  5. Sep 9, '11 by
    No...it doesn't typically, but, there are certain situations where increasing oxygen can cause vasodilation leading to pulmonary over circulation which eventually results in an increased pulmonary vascular resistance and shunting of blood away from the lungs. This is what is seen in the pulmonary hypertension typically associated with chronic lung disease, BPD and congenital heart disease/defects


    *note, in these types of children FiO2 is typically blended so they are not receiving 100% oxygen and support (flow/cpap/ventilator) can be titrated as low as room air