THOMAS L. PETTY, M.D.
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To the Editor: I believe Question 248 on p. 1154 of the December ANNALS requires reevaluation and comment. One hundred percent oxygen is not indicated in any of the clinical situations depicted by the five arterial blood gas patterns. One hundred percent oxygen has certain toxicity if given for prolonged periods, and it is therefore possible that 100% oxygen administration might harm any or all of the patients represented in the question. At the same time, Patient D (the so-called correct answer) is in greatest need of oxygen because of his degree of hypoxemia but probably not 100% oxygen. I
PETTY TL. DISSENT ON OXYGEN THERAPY. Ann Intern Med. 1969;70:647. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-70-3-647_1
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Published: Ann Intern Med. 1969;70(3):647.
DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-70-3-647_1