Oxygen toxicity occurs when antioxidants are actively functioning and perfusion is unimpaired, but there is too much oxygen available for reactive oxygen species (ROS) to be controlled. In the medical setting, the most common risk for oxygen toxicity occurs when patients are on mechanical ventilation using high oxygen concentrations for extended periods (days to weeks). The antioxidants in the lung tissues become exhausted and ROS damages the lung tissues.
Perfusion Theory is an educational platform for the Oxygen Pressure Field Theory (OPFT). August Krogh’s theoretical concept of the oxygen pressure field is explained and then applied to clinical applications in perfusion practice.