Oxygen administration during labor

Hehehe, I've got good news for you. You have been worrying about little to nothing. You've been doing a little oops. In reality, a patient is lucky to even get an FiO2 of 0.8 on a well secured non-rebreather mask. The difference between 10-15 LPM is really only a matter of increased flow.

I am a new grad and have an interview with L& D...any advice? Why would you not recommend going straight to L& D from school?

GilaRN- Thank you SOOO much! You have no idea how worried I have been...literally sick to my stomach!

Cajunmom- Well, don't get me wrong. I LOVE labor and delivery, but after a couple years into it I realized how limited I made myself by not getting some basic med surg experience. It is truly a specialty and after so long you want to scream and run if an 85yo man with chest tubes and wounds comes your way! Just wish I had gotten some more basic nursing skills mastered. If I could do it again I would go into med surg for at least a year.

I also went into L&D right after school and have not regretted it. Most L&D nurses that I have worked with that worked med-surg first have admitted that they have forgotten most of it after a few years of L&D. Also, things change and you can't hope to keep up your medical surgical stuff when you no longer practice it even if you started there. I now teach OB and nursing fundamentals (brand new nursing students) and I LOVE it!

Actually, new research indicates that in order to raise O2 levels high enough that it will benefit the fetus, flow must be at least 12-15L, not 10. A lot of facilities have not changed their orders, but best practice based on research is that it should be 12-15.

Klone, do you have helpful avenues for research articles. It gets to be my new project, how to intervene properly with O2. So the discussion of increasing liter flow or to change to non-rebreathers is what I need info on... Help a girl out...

K

I am a new grad and have an interview with L& D...any advice? Why would you not recommend going straight to L& D from school?

I went straight into L&D and now have 5 years experience. If you plan on staying in L&D there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Unfortunately, in this job market if you are looking to branch out you may find it challenging to land an interview. Due to my husband's new job, deployments, and my daughter in pre-k I cannot find affordable childcare that will transport her to school to accommodate a hospital nurse's schedule. I am aggressively searching for anything that I feel I am remotely qualified for and have not landed an interview. What sucks is, there are L&D jobs where I am, it just won't work for my family right now.

i remember a respiratory therapist once telling me not to use more than 6l/min via a face mask. if using more than that, you need to change to a non-rebreather. anyone else hear similar information?

NRB masks is what we use.

i remember a respiratory therapist once telling me not to use more than 6l/min via a face mask. if using more than that, you need to change to a non-rebreather. anyone else hear similar information?

no; however, you need at least 6lpm with a simple face mask to wash out carbon dioxide. slower rates can result in rebreathing.

no; however, you need at least 6lpm with a simple face mask to wash out carbon dioxide. slower rates can result in rebreathing.

thanks for clearing that up, your explanation sure makes more sense! :)

Actually, new research indicates that in order to raise O2 levels high enough that it will benefit the fetus, flow must be at least 12-15L, not 10. A lot of facilities have not changed their orders, but best practice based on research is that it should be 12-15.

hi klone, can you please direct me to this research? thx so much!