Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a kind of long-term obstructive respiratory or lung disease, characterized by breathlessness caused by breathing problems and poor airflow. It is actually an umbrella term to refer to progressive lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory asthma, and the like.
Various modes of treatment are available for this disease including exercise, corticosteroids, bronchodilators, other medications, surgery, and oxygen therapy.
In the above scenario, since the patient is being administered oxygen, this means that the patient has low oxygen levels in the blood. Thus, the primary focus of his/her treatment is to use oxygen therapy to maintain the client's oxygen saturation level at 88 to 91%, and care should be taken so as not to exceed this saturation range. The rate of oxygen flow is usually at 2-4 l/min. Any more will cause the oxygen levels in the blood to increase to a point where the natural respiratory drive, governed by the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood, will be depressed.
