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Oxygen in a Pill

Allan L. Goldman, MD; Douglass Morrison, MD; Larry J. Foster, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1981;141(5):574.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Chronic hypoxia can lead to complications including pulmonary hypertension, cor pulmonale, polycythemia, or impaired neuropsychological function. Chronic hypoxia caused by intrinsic lung disease can result from ventilation perfusion mismatching, shunting, or diffusion abnormalities. In some patients, hypoxia can be improved by treating the underlying lung disease, whereas in others, supplemental oxygen therapy may be required. Oxygen is expensive and inconvenient to use, but it is beneficial for the previously mentioned complications, particularly in nonsmokers.

Hypoxia can also result from alveolar hypoventilation, which is indicated by an elevated Paco₂. Hypoventilation is caused by conditions that impair the mechanical function of the lungs, eg, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or by primary disorders of respiratory control, eg, the obesity-hypoventilation (Pickwickian) syndrome. It is useful to think of patients with severe intrinsic lung disease as the "can't breathe" group and the patients with primary respiratory control center defects as the "won't . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
University of South Florida College of Medicine 12901 N 30th St Tampa, FL 33612

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