giving O2 per request?

Staragate, ADN, ASN, RN · Mar 30, 2012

I'm a student too. The answer is no, unless the oxygen is already set up in her room with a cannula and everything. She was satting low, but COPD patients depend on a certain amount of oxygen deprivation to stimulate the instinct to breathe. The rest of us depend on our carbon dioxide levels. If the O2 goes too high, she can stop breathing.

Now that I scared you, oxygen is probably appropriate for this patient. Oxygen is controlled like any other medication, so it needs an order within 2 hours I believe. (RNs, correct me if I'm wrong!)

Anyway, check with your nurse/instructor if in doubt.

mursetudent25 · Mar 30, 2012

yea the cannula was there, she asked me to connect it to the fossett and put it on 1L...which is what I did..but then today i found out that that could be pretty dangerous...noone mentioned anything to me about it (this happened last week)...i didnt do anything wrong i hope

Staragate, ADN, ASN, RN · Mar 30, 2012

Just remember, don't do anything you weren't trained on. Ask if you don't know. I wouldn't touch oxygen as a CNA until they showed me how everything worked. If they are on O2 on a wheel chair tank, then the rate has to match on the wall when I transfer them from their chair to the bed, for example.

shortnorthstudent · Mar 30, 2012

Oxygen is a medication and requires a doctor's order like any other med. You didn't do anything wrong if - there was a doctor's order (or other standing order) for O2, if you are allowed in your clinical setting to give the O2 and you documented it properly.

Generally UAP (in most states at least) are not allowed to adjust oxygen because it is a medication. So, if you were at your job as a CNA or other UAP, you probably should not have adjusted the O2.

loriangel14, RN · Mar 30, 2012

Not only do you need an order for the O2 but you ned to assess whether or not the pt needs the O2. You can't just turn it on just because they ask for it.You need to assess their O2 sats.

mursetudent25 · Mar 30, 2012

Not only do you need an order for the O2 but you ned to assess whether or not the pt needs the O2. You can't just turn it on just because they ask for it.You need to assess their O2 sats.

not good..i assume nothing bad came of this, but i did not know oxygen is a medication...

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2012

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Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2012

Did you have an order for nasal cannula at 1lpm? If not, then you should not turn on the oxygen- especially in a patient with COPD. In a healthy person, there simulua to breathe comes from a build up of CO2. In a person with COPD, their stimulus to breathe is low O2. They have lower than normal sats all the time. If you give them oxygen and their O2 sats get too high, they can stop breathing. Why was she asking for the oxygen and why was it off? Was she short of breath? We're her sats lower than normal? Did you check with the primary nurse? You need to be very careful with oxygen in patients with COPD and never give any medication, including oxygen, without an order.

mursetudent25 · Mar 30, 2012

Did you have an order for nasal cannula at 1lpm? If not, then you should not turn on the oxygen- especially in a patient with COPD. In a healthy person, there simulua to breathe comes from a build up of CO2. In a person with COPD, their stimulus to breathe is low O2. They have lower than normal sats all the time. If you give them oxygen and their O2 sats

I didn't even check, the patient just asked me to connect the cannula to the wall O2 and put it onto 1L since they were short of breath, I had no clue this was a medication...I thought it was just an intervention..the patient did have an O2 tank on wheels, I guess they could have turned it on themselves anyhow? weird that noone has mentioned anything to me about it...and i did write about it on the daily reflection........uhoh

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2012

ya someone with COPD can have complications if they get to much oxygen, however if u put the NC on at 1/lpm and walked away its not going to kill them. it take a little bit of time

O2 is a medication.

Now, on the issue of asking for a doc order. In a COPD pt with 90% sats thats pretty good, and you could have told them.. hey ill be right back i need to go call the doctor or whatever about connecting you to the oxygen.

If you had a pt who has activity intolerance with 87% sats bc you ambulated them and they are huffing and puffing. You can put 2L/nc on them to raise their sats WHILE you are going to get ur primary or whoever to get the order for 02.

mursetudent25 · Mar 30, 2012

thanks

what happened was the patient was short of breath and asked me to connect the cannula to the wall and put the oxygen onto 1L, so i did that then monitored the oxygen level (it got to 95%), i didnt notify anyone of anything since i figured they were going to connect to the oxygen anyhow and I was just helping out..big mistake i guess...i hope this doesnt go under medication error or passing meds without order....uhoh