The acute use of oxygen therapy in adults

Abstract

Over the last decade there has been an increasing realisation that oxygen should be considered a drug which is prescribed for specific indications to achieve a specific oxygen saturation range, and that the response needs to be monitored to guide ongoing therapy. This realisation has led to the development and promotion of guidelines which provide simple, practical and evidence-based recommendations for the acute use of oxygen in adults in clinical practice. In this commentary the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) oxygen guidelines are reviewed, and the key concepts and recommendations are presented.