How Does Oxygen Therapy Work?

Oxygen therapy provides you with extra oxygen, a gas that your body needs to work properly. Oxygen comes in different forms and can be delivered to your lungs in several ways.

Oxygen Therapy Systems

Oxygen is supplied in three forms: as compressed gas, as liquid, or as a concentrated form taken from the air.

Compressed oxygen gas is stored under pressure in metal cylinders. The cylinders come in various sizes. Some of the cylinders are small enough to carry around with you. You can put them on a small wheeled cart or in a shoulder bag or backpack.

Liquid oxygen is a very cold liquid that becomes gas when released from its container. Liquid oxygen is delivered to your home in a large container. From this container, smaller, more portable units can be filled.

The advantage of liquid oxygen is that the storage units need less space than compressed or concentrated oxygen. However, liquid oxygen costs more than the other forms of oxygen. Also, it evaporates easily, so it doesn't last for a long time.

Oxygen concentrators filter out other gases in the air and store only oxygen. Oxygen concentrators come in several sizes, including portable units.

Oxygen concentrators cost less than the other oxygen therapy systems. One reason is because they don't require oxygen refills. However, oxygen concentrators are powered by electricity. Thus, you'll need a backup supply of oxygen in case of a power outage.

Delivery Devices

Most often, oxygen is delivered through a nasal cannula. A nasal cannula consists of two small plastic tubes, or prongs, that are placed in both nostrils.

To help hold the cannula in place, you can put the longer ends of it over your ears or attach them to a special kind of eyeglass frame that helps hide the tubing. The tubing then comes around the back of your ears and under your chin, where it joins together. From there, it's attached to the tube from the oxygen container.

Nasal Cannula and Portable Oxygen Container

The illustration shows how a nasal cannula and portable oxygen container are attached to a patient.

A face mask, which fits over your nose and mouth, may be used instead of a nasal cannula. This method mainly is used if you need a high flow rate of oxygen or if your nose is clogged from a cold.

The face mask may be held in place with a strap that goes around your head or with tubes that fit around your ears. The oxygen is delivered through a tube that attaches to the front of the mask.

Oxygen also may be delivered through a tracheostomy. This is a surgically made hole that goes through the front of your neck and into your windpipe. A breathing tube is placed in the hole to help you breathe. Oxygen delivered this way is called transtracheal oxygen therapy.

If you're on transtracheal oxygen therapy, you'll need to have a humidifier attached to your oxygen system. This is because the oxygen doesn't pass through your nose and/or mouth like it does with the other delivery systems. A humidifier adds moisture to the oxygen and prevents your airways from getting too dry.

Oxygen also can be delivered through breathing machines, such as CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) devices or ventilators.