DOH warns public vs improper use of medical oxygen for home use

HE Department of Health (DOH)-Central Visayas warned the public against inappro priate use of medical grade oxygen, saying inappropriate use of it can lead to oxygen toxicity or lung damage.

TDr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-Central Visayas director, said in an advisory Wednesday, August 4, 2021, that medical grade oxygen is an important element in the management of severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases and its related complications.

However, its use as a therapeutic modality must only be limited in hospital setting where healthcare workers can closely monitor patients, he said.

He said improper use of oxygen can cause oxygen toxicity or damage to the lungs because of too much or unregulated amount of oxygen.

Bernadas said this leads to trauma of the lung tissue.

"For an individual whose lungs are already inflamed due to the Sars-CoV-2 virus infection, unsupervised oxygen therapy can lead to more damage and even death," he said.

With this, the DOH-Central Visayas "strongly" advised the public not to purchase medical grade oxygen for home use.

A few days before the DOH-Central Visayas released this advisory, there were reports of patients lining up outside hospitals while inside their private vehicle and tugging oxygen while waiting to be admitted.

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There was also long queue in pharmacies flocked by residents from nearby towns and cities to buy oxygen supplies.

Bernadas said suspected symptomatic individuals must seek immediate medical attention for appropriate management.

(WBS)