oxygenation
[ok″sĭ-jĕ-na´shun] saturation with oxygen.
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) a technique of providing respiratory support; the blood is circulated through an artificial lung consisting of two compartments separated by a gas-permeable membrane, with the blood on one side and the ventilating gas on the other. It was originally used exclusively in newborns but is now being used more and more in adults.
pulsed oxygenation a technique by which oxygen is delivered to the patient only during inhalation rather than continuously during the respiratory cycle; used to conserve oxygen in patients using chronic low-flow oxygen therapy at home.
transtracheal oxygenation a technique of oxygen administration for patients requiring chronic oxygen therapy, in which oxygen is administered at low flow through a catheter passing directly into the trachea. This may be more cosmetic for patients and may require a lower flow of oxygen than other methods such as the use of a nasal cannula.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.