When should oxygen be administered?

• A. Only if the patient asks for oxygen.
• B. When saturation is below 94%, pale skin, altered mental status, cyanosis, or difficulty breathing.
• C. Only after blood pressure is checked.
• D. If the patient has a fever.

Answer: (B)

Recognize that providing oxygen is about correcting inadequate oxygen in the blood and ensuring tissues get enough to function. In the field you monitor oxygenation with pulse oximetry and watch for signs that the patient isn’t oxygenating well. If the saturation is below 94%, or you see signs such as pale or mottled skin, altered mental status, cyanosis, or breathing difficulty, supplemental oxygen should be started promptly. These indicators show the body's organs aren’t getting enough oxygen, so delivering oxygen helps improve delivery to the tissues.

Oxygen isn’t given just because the patient asks for it, and you don’t need to wait for a blood pressure check to decide about oxygen. Fever by itself doesn’t indicate a need for oxygen. In practice, you’d choose an appropriate high-concentration delivery method and titrate to achieve a safe saturation, while continuing to monitor the patient’s status.