COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

COPD 09/01/2009

Question:

i wanted to know if 79 on daytime oxygen is bad i know it has been way worse.

Answer:

Is this 79 a pulse oximetry reading?  If so, 79 is below normal.  Normal is 88% or higher. 

If this is the oxygen level from arterial blood gases (PaO2), then it is slightly below normal--80 and above is normal. 

Please review this information with your physician--you may need to be evaluated to determine if you need oxygen therapy.

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Response by:

Gerene S Bauldoff, RN, PhD, FCCP, FAACVPR, FAAN Professor of Clinical Nursing College of Nursing The Ohio State University