Abstract

It is a common practice for emergency personnel to administer oxygen for a patient diagnosed with a myocardial infarction. It is a well-known practice to place the patient on supplemental oxygen even if they are not hypoxic. The use of supplemental oxygen has been a cornerstone in the treatment of myocardial infarction. The rationale behind the administration of oxygen therapy is to increase oxygen delivery to the myocardium, therefore limiting the infarct size and future complications (Hofmann et al., 2017). The use of supplemental oxygen on normoxic patients has been challenged due to the possibility of causing further injury to the myocardium. Above normal oxygen levels in the blood can cause coronary vasoconstriction and increase the production of reactive oxygen species, potentially contributing to reperfusion injury (Hofmann et al., 2017). Acute myocardial infarction is 1 of the 5 most expensive causes of hospitalization, any complications increase the total cost and can lead to re-admissions or recurrent emergency department visits. Under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Programs (HRRP), Medicare will not pay for a re-admission within 30 days of the patient being discharged, meaning that hospitals will pay the expenses generated. It is important to minimize complications and be more cautious in the administration of supplement oxygen.

Date of publication

Spring 4-16-2022

Document Type

MSN Capstone Project

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3956

Degree

Masters in Nursing Administration

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