A Simple Guide to Hypoxemia, Diagnosis, Treatment and Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Hypoxemia, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Hypoxemia happens when there are low levels of oxygen in the blood.

Hypoxia indicates the presence of low levels of oxygen in the tissues of the body.

The two can occasionally, but not always, happen together.

Normally, the presence of hypoxemia indicates hypoxia.

This makes sense since if oxygen levels are low in the blood, the tissues of the body are also probably not getting sufficient oxygen either.

There are many disorders that can cause hypoxemia.
1. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
2. Anemia
Anemia is a disorder in which there are not enough red blood cells to effectively carry oxygen.
Due to this lack of red blood cells, a person with anemia may have low levels of oxygen in their blood
3. Asthma
4. A blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism)
5. A collapsed lung
6. Congenital heart defects or disease
7. COPD
COPD is a chronic disorder in which the flow of air in the lungs is blocked.
Destruction of the walls of alveoli and surrounding capillaries in COPD can cause disorders with oxygen exchange, which can result in hypoxemia.

8. Covid-19 pneumonia
9. Fluid in the lung (pulmonary edema)
10. Travel to a high altitudes
11. Interstitial lung disease
12. Medications that lower breathing rate, such as some narcotics and anesthetics
13. Pneumonia of bacterial, viral or fungal origins
14. Scarring in the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis)
15. Sleep apnea
16. Respiratory failure happens when not enough oxygen passes from the lungs to the blood.
The low blood oxygen levels can indicate respiratory failure.
17. Near drowning or choking
18. Carbon monoxide poisoning
19. Exposure to cold for a long period of time
20. Congestive heart failure

Different disorders can cause hypoxemia in different ways.

Hypoxemia in newborns

Hypoxemia can occasionally happen in newborns with congenital heart defects or disease.

In fact, measuring the levels of oxygen in the blood is employed to screen infants for congenital heart defects.

Preterm infants are very susceptible to hypoxemia, especially if they have been placed on a mechanical ventilator.

Someone with hypoxemia may develop these symptoms:
1. Shortness of breath
2. Coughing or wheezing
3. Headache
4. Rapid heartbeat
5. Feeling confused or disoriented
6. A blue coloration to the skin, lips, and fingernails
7. Confusion or memory loss
8. Clumsiness
9. Drowsiness
10. Changes in behavior
11. Vision changes
12. Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting

In order to diagnose hypoxemia, the doctors will conduct a physical examination during which they will examine the heart and lungs.
Other tests are:
1. Pulse oximetry, which uses a sensor placed on the finger to measure blood oxygen levels.
2. Arterial blood gas test, which uses a needle to draw a blood sample from an artery to measure blood oxygen levels.
3. Breathing tests, which may evaluate the breathing through a machine or by breathing into a tube.

Since hypoxemia involves low blood oxygen levels, the purpose of treatment is to try to elevate blood oxygen levels back to normal.

Supplemental oxygen therapy can be given to treat hypoxemia.

If an underlying disorder such as asthma or pneumonia is producing the hypoxemia, the doctor will work to treat that disorder with medicines.

Mechanical ventilation and IV fluids may be used for more severe forms of hypoxemia.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Hypoxemia
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Oxygen Therapy
Chapter 8 Brain Hypoxia
Epilogue

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005476052

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

A

Simple

Guide

To

Hypoxemia,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2021 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Hypoxemia, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Hypoxemia)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

My diagnosis and treatment capability has improved tremendously from my continued education.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Hypoxemia

What is Hypoxemia?

Hypoxemia happens when there are low levels of oxygen in the blood.

Hypoxemia can be caused by different disorders, such as asthma, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

It is a serious medical state and requires prompt emergency attention.

Hypoxia vs. hypoxemia

Hypoxia and hypoxemia indicate two different disorders.

While hypoxemia determines the presence of low oxygen levels in the blood, hypoxia indicates the presence of low levels of oxygen in the tissues of the body.

The two can occasionally, but not always, happen together.

Normally, the presence of hypoxemia indicates hypoxia.

This makes sense since if oxygen levels are low in the blood, the tissues of the body are also probably not getting sufficient oxygen either.

Types

There are several different types of hypoxemia, and each type is dependent on the mechanism through which blood oxygen levels are decreased.

A. Ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) mismatch

This is the most