RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Oxygen for premature babies
JF Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin
JO Drug Ther Bull
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 45
OP 47
DO 10.1136/dtb.12.12.45
VO 12
IS 12
YR 1974
UL http://dtb.bmj.com/content/12/12/45.abstract
AB In a newborn premature baby oxygen is a dangerous but life-saving drug. It is easy to give too much or too little, in either case with disastrous consequences. Oxygen excess is clinically undetectable while cyanosis is an unreliable and late sign of hypoxia. It is essential to monitor the concentration of oxygen breathed and its tension in the blood, but even these measurements are not free from technical inaccuracies. The correct use of oxygen demands experience and a knowledge of basic principles.