What is the primary goal of oxygen therapy?

The primary goal of oxygen therapy is to maintain adequate oxygen saturation levels. This objective is critical because adequate oxygen saturation is essential for ensuring that tissues and organs receive enough oxygen to function optimally. When patients are experiencing hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels), oxygen therapy helps to restore normal levels, which can alleviate symptoms associated with lack of oxygen, such as shortness of breath, confusion, and fatigue.

Maintaining adequate oxygen saturation also supports the body's metabolic needs, particularly in patients with conditions that impair gas exchange, such as COPD, pneumonia, or heart failure. By ensuring that blood oxygen levels are kept within a healthy range, oxygen therapy can improve overall patient outcomes and quality of life.

Other options highlight associated concepts but do not represent the primary goal of oxygen therapy. Increasing the respiration rate can occur as a physiological response but is not a direct target of therapy. Improving lung compliance addresses another aspect of respiratory function, but it is not the main aim. Reducing carbon dioxide levels might be a secondary effect in some cases, especially with conditions like hypercapnia, but it is not the primary purpose of administering oxygen therapy.