Title: Hyperoxia in Critical Illness<br/>Author: Michael Winters<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/141/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
<strong><u>Hyperoxia in the Critically Ill</u></strong></p>
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Oxygen is liberally administered to many critically ill patients, thereby exposing them to supranormal arterial oxygen levels.</li>
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Hyperoxia results in the formation of reactive oxygen species, which adversely affect the pulmonary, vascular, cnetral nervous, and immune systems.</li>
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Though the optimal P<sub>a</sub>O<sub>2</sub> remains unknown, recent evidence indicates that hyperoxia is associated with increased mortality in post-cardiac arrest, CVA, acute coronary syndrome, and traumatic brain injury patients.</li>
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<strong>Take Home Point: Carefully titrate oxygen to the lowest tolerable level to meet the patient's needs.</strong></li>
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<fieldset><legend>References</legend>
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Helmerhorst HJF, et al. Association between arterial hyperoxia and outcomes in subsets of critical illness: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of cohort studies. <em>Crit Care Med</em> 2015; 43:1508-19.</p>
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