Oxygen Assessment

Why is this important?

Pneumonia replaces the air in the lungs with fluid, lowering the oxygen in the blood. As a result, the oxygen you need to breathe does not make it into your bloodstream. It is important to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital to determine if oxygen therapy is necessary. The assessment may include an ABG (arterial blood gas) test or pulse oximetry, a method in which sensors are attached to a part of the body such as a finger, earlobe or skin fold to measure oxygen levels.

Higher percentages are better.

Information About Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs that makes breathing difficult. As the lungs fill with fluid, oxygen has increasing difficulty reaching the blood and a whole series of events may occur that can eventually result in death.

Pneumonia is caused by a viral or bacterial infection that fills the lungs with mucus and lowers the oxygen level in the blood.

Symptoms of pneumonia can include the following:

• Difficulty breathing
• “Wet” cough with green or bloody mucus
• Chest pain
• Fever and chills
• Fatigue

This data, based primarily on data collected by Baxter Regional Medical Center hospital from April 2007 through March 2008, was released publicly on December 18, 2008.