Week 5 oxygen therapy and patient
safety - From Jen's CNUR (103) Study
Guide Questions and Actual Answers
2026 Updated.
Oxygen Therapy - Answer
What does a respiratory therapist do? - Answer manages patients w emergency/complex O2
therapy needs:
- Manage ventilated patients
- Manage Noninvasive, CPAP & BIPAP
- Analyze blood gases and chest x-rays
- Part of the neonatal resuscitation team and pediatric transport team
- RTs in the community with home O2 companies, pulmonary function labs, sleep disorder
centers
- RTs in primary health clinics running COPD rehab classes and educating patients on
management of chronic lung diseases
What does CPAP stand for? - Answer continuous positive airway pressure
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with CPAP wear a face mask during sleep which is
connected to a pump (CPAP machine) that forces air into the nasal passages at pressures high
enough to overcome obstructions in the airway and stimulate normal breathing.
What does COPD stand for? - Answer Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
,What does BIPAP stand for? - Answer Bilevel positive airway pressure
BiPAP (also referred to as BPAP) stands for Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure, and is very similar in
function and design to a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure). Similar to a CPAP
machine, A BiPAP machine is a non-invasive form of therapy for patients suffering from sleep
apnea.
What are the 3 processes involved in respiration? - Answer 1. ventilation:
2. diffusion:
3. transporation:
What is ventilation? - Answer Mechanical process of breathing >> moving air in and out of
lungs ie. inspiration and expiration
What is diffusion? - Answer Exchange of 02 and C02 in alveoli
- 02 diffuses from alveoli into capillaries
- C02 diffuses from capillaries into alveoli
Oxygen moves from higher concentrations (in the alveoli) to lower concentrations (pulmonary
capillary blood) and Carbon Dioxide moves the other way from capillaries to the alveoli.
What is transportation? - Answer Movement 02 and C02 to and from cells/tissues
- O2 combines with hemoglobin to be carried to tissues
- C02 carried in RBCs (65%); hemoglobin (30%); and in plasma (5%)
3 factors influence how much 02 the blood can carry:
1. The amount of dissolved oxygen in the plasma
2. The hemoglobin level
3. The tendency of hemoglobin to bind with oxygen
Is oxygen flammable? - Answer -NO, however it will support *combustion*
, 3 Reasons a patient would need O2: - Answer 1. Impaired ventilation
2. Impaired diffusion
3. Impaired transporation
What is impaired ventilation?
What are some things that might cause impaired ventilation? - Answer Mechanical part isn't
working, inspiration and expiration
-Obstructed airway
- Infections that cause increased secretions and inflammation
- Head injury or drugs that affect CNS control of breathing
- Trauma or diseases that affect muscles of respiration or alter intrapleural pressure: eg. spinal
cord injury, muscular dystrophy, chest wound
2. - Destruction of alveoli due to COPD
- Pulmonary edema (eg. with CHF)
- Infections, collapse of lung
3. - Anemias, hemorrhage
- Decreased cardiac output
- Pulmonary embolism
What is impaired diffusion?
What are some things that might cause impaired diffusion? - Answer Exchange of O2 and
CO2 is a problem
Destruction of alveoli due to COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Pulmonary edema (eg. with CHF - congestive heart failure)
- Infections, collapse of lung
What is impaired transportation?
safety - From Jen's CNUR (103) Study
Guide Questions and Actual Answers
2026 Updated.
Oxygen Therapy - Answer
What does a respiratory therapist do? - Answer manages patients w emergency/complex O2
therapy needs:
- Manage ventilated patients
- Manage Noninvasive, CPAP & BIPAP
- Analyze blood gases and chest x-rays
- Part of the neonatal resuscitation team and pediatric transport team
- RTs in the community with home O2 companies, pulmonary function labs, sleep disorder
centers
- RTs in primary health clinics running COPD rehab classes and educating patients on
management of chronic lung diseases
What does CPAP stand for? - Answer continuous positive airway pressure
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with CPAP wear a face mask during sleep which is
connected to a pump (CPAP machine) that forces air into the nasal passages at pressures high
enough to overcome obstructions in the airway and stimulate normal breathing.
What does COPD stand for? - Answer Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
,What does BIPAP stand for? - Answer Bilevel positive airway pressure
BiPAP (also referred to as BPAP) stands for Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure, and is very similar in
function and design to a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure). Similar to a CPAP
machine, A BiPAP machine is a non-invasive form of therapy for patients suffering from sleep
apnea.
What are the 3 processes involved in respiration? - Answer 1. ventilation:
2. diffusion:
3. transporation:
What is ventilation? - Answer Mechanical process of breathing >> moving air in and out of
lungs ie. inspiration and expiration
What is diffusion? - Answer Exchange of 02 and C02 in alveoli
- 02 diffuses from alveoli into capillaries
- C02 diffuses from capillaries into alveoli
Oxygen moves from higher concentrations (in the alveoli) to lower concentrations (pulmonary
capillary blood) and Carbon Dioxide moves the other way from capillaries to the alveoli.
What is transportation? - Answer Movement 02 and C02 to and from cells/tissues
- O2 combines with hemoglobin to be carried to tissues
- C02 carried in RBCs (65%); hemoglobin (30%); and in plasma (5%)
3 factors influence how much 02 the blood can carry:
1. The amount of dissolved oxygen in the plasma
2. The hemoglobin level
3. The tendency of hemoglobin to bind with oxygen
Is oxygen flammable? - Answer -NO, however it will support *combustion*
, 3 Reasons a patient would need O2: - Answer 1. Impaired ventilation
2. Impaired diffusion
3. Impaired transporation
What is impaired ventilation?
What are some things that might cause impaired ventilation? - Answer Mechanical part isn't
working, inspiration and expiration
-Obstructed airway
- Infections that cause increased secretions and inflammation
- Head injury or drugs that affect CNS control of breathing
- Trauma or diseases that affect muscles of respiration or alter intrapleural pressure: eg. spinal
cord injury, muscular dystrophy, chest wound
2. - Destruction of alveoli due to COPD
- Pulmonary edema (eg. with CHF)
- Infections, collapse of lung
3. - Anemias, hemorrhage
- Decreased cardiac output
- Pulmonary embolism
What is impaired diffusion?
What are some things that might cause impaired diffusion? - Answer Exchange of O2 and
CO2 is a problem
Destruction of alveoli due to COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Pulmonary edema (eg. with CHF - congestive heart failure)
- Infections, collapse of lung
What is impaired transportation?
