Oxygen therapy and its relevance in ongoing COVID 19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

It was in 1850s that scientists realised that Earth is a closed system where even Oxygen and Carbon dioxide are exchanged between animals and plants for their co-existence and survival. Humans need Oxygen to be used for cellular respiration. It is the process by which human cells break down sugar to produce energy. This energy is stored to fuel life. This can be easily compared to a burning wood which uses oxygen to produce heat and carbon dioxide as waste. The current Covid pandemic made us realise the importance of oxygen. Corona virus hampers the process of absorption of oxygen by lungs by damaging alveolar-capillary membranes. In absence of an effective therapy to counter the virus, the management of patient is essentially symptomatic, basics of which revolves around oxygen therapy. The mere size of the pandemic has exhausted all medical facilities and many patients were treated at home, the knowledge of oxygen therapy for healthcare personnels and common people has become pertinent. Here we have tried to explain the basics about oxygen therapy in relation to Covid 19 pandemic, which is not static and expected change with time.