oxygen vs room air for breathing treatments

[Wisc.RN]

How do you administer breathing treatments at your facility? We have always used oxygen but currently there is a debate about changing to a nebulizer that you need to take in to each patients room. Any thoughts ? any research out there? Thanks!

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

RT handles that, not me. I wouldn't know the first thing about that. I love the RT people on my unit. They are awesome!!!

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

The RRTs do it on my unit too. If the pt is on O2 (and not vented of course) they hook it up to the O2 flow meter. If the pt is not on O2, they hook it up to the air flow meter. No equipment is transferred from room to room

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

LTC RN here. We've been doing respiratory txs for years...I think it was almost 15 years ago the last time I saw an RN in a non vent stetting. We use room air and have the portable nebulizer machines. If they are on O2, we keep that on.

[Wisc.RN]

I love RT too! But unfortunately they are not around in the clinic. Have always used oxygen in Urgent Care and the ED. ( we have oxygen in all the rooms but not air). Have been trying to find policies or evidence based research on this topic with no luck. With the push for single use patient supplies it just seems wrong to use the same nebulizer on multiple patients! Maybe its just me, but yuck.