The FDA does not allow 'anyone' to administer oxygen at any levels. The FDA
thinks of oxygen as a drug and you must be under a doctor's care to receive
it (except for normal breathing subjects). As an EMT I operate under a
doctor who has protocol for oxygen administration.
The problem with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (emphysema,
etc.) patients is not toxicity. Without getting too deep, those patients
have a respiratory drive that is different from the normal drive. Normal
people get their cue to breathe from the level of carbon dioxide in their
blood. COPD patients get their cue from oxygen levels. Therefore, in rare
cases, the increase oxygen levels in their blood from receiving supplemental
oxygen may actually fail to cue their breathing and they may just...STOP.
That can be made to conciously breathe on their own, and, in medical need
they rarely have problems because they need the extra oxygen.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-crm-devel_at_db.erau.edu [mailto:owner-crm-devel_at_db.erau.edu]On
> Behalf Of AAdamski_at_aol.com
> Sent: Monday, February 01, 1999 3:05 PM
> To: crm-devel_at_db.erau.edu
> Subject: Re: Usage of O2 Bottle!
>
>
>
> Joktan:
> A few years ago I did some research regarding the requirements of
> administering oxygen to passengers for an air carrier training
> program and I
> will try to relate what I remember about the subject. To begin,
> in the United
> States there are two agencies overseeing the requirements of administering
> oxygen to passengers aboard aircraft: the Federal Aviation Administration
> (FAA) and the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During a medical
> emergency (what defines an emergency is not clearly defined), the
> FDA allows
> anyone to administer oxygen at 6 liters or more; however, if the
> liter flow is
> less than 6, then it must be administered by a qualified medical person!
> Oxygen administered at less than 6 liter flow requires a
> prescription. Thus, a
> 4 liter flow administered by a crewmember to a passenger in a medical
> emergency is not in accordance with FDA regulation, but as I
> understand it,
> the FAA is silent on the issue. Additionally, as I remember, it
> is actually
> possible to give certain people (emphysemics) an overdose of
> oxygen and create
> a toxic situation. Well, I do not know if this answered any of
> your questions,
> or just confused you further. Hopefully, it helped. This remains
> a confusing
> issue due to the overlap of regulatory authority.
> Regards,
> Tony Adamski, Ph.D.
> Eastern Michigan University
>