Oxygen treatment should be given to all smokers, says nurse
Oxygen treatment should be made available to all smokers, one nurse has suggested.
The healthcare professional, who worked as a senior staff nurse with the former Gwent NHS Trust in Wales, has voiced her grievances about the denial of long-term oxygen therapy for smokers in hospitals in the area, the Western Mail reports.
Wishing to remain anonymous, the nurse explains that she took her case to the Aneurin Bevan Health Board and complained about one particular doctor who refused long-term treatment to patients who were smokers.
Livingwithcopd.org advises that as well as helping smokers, oxygen therapy can also be beneficial to those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
As the performance of the lungs gets gradually worse, supplemental oxygen can help to make up for what the body cannot do, the site states.
It goes on to add that many smokers and people with COPD will be advised to breathe oxygen-enriched air by their physician in order to help their condition.
Posted by James Worrall
13/04/2010 15:43:37
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