Understanding Acute Respiratory Failure

Nursing Students Student Assist

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"hypoxemic respiratory failure is commonly defined as a pao2 of 60 mm hg or less when the patient is receiving an inspired o2 concentration of 60% or greater."

what does inspired o2 concenteration mean? how does the patient receive this oxygen? is it through the nasal cannula?

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

It's the FiO2. Usually it's referring to a patient on a vent and that's how they are receiving the oxygen.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Fi02 refers to the percentage of Oxygen mixed in with Air. So you can have pure oxygen coming out of the tank and into a "mixer" that mixes the oxygen and room air to specific percentage and into the mask, ET tube or what have you.

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They don't HAVE to be on a vent. They can be on a trach collar too, but like they said..it's the percentage of pure O2

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