Essay Example on Oxygen: Essential for Human Survival & Health

Introduction

Oxygen is a vital natural gas that is required for human survival. All living cells in the human body need oxygen to function at an optimum level. The lack of oxygen or inadequate uptake of it would cause serious health complications and in extreme cases, lead to death. The carbon dioxide released as a by-product of breathing needs to be removed from the body tissues so as to maintain a healthy body. The respiratory system supports the oxygenation process while the cardiovascular systems play a crucial role in supporting the circulation of blood in the body (Kozier, 2017). The two systems function interdependently, and the impairment of either negatively affects the whole body. This paper aims to discuss the process of oxygenation and circulation of blood in the body.

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Structure of the respiratory system

The transportation of gases in the human body is made possible by the respiratory system. Inhaled ooxygen gas moves from the lungs into the blood system while carbon dioxide moves out of the blood system into the lungs for exhalation. The respiratory system consists of several organs that facilitate gas exchange through the capillary membranes. The structure of the respiratory system is made up of the upper and the lower respiratory tracts. The mouth, nose, and throat make up the upper section of the respiratory system while the lower section consists of the lungs, the pulmonary network, pleural membranes, and bronchioles.

The nose opens up the airway through which oxygenated air enters the body. The inhaled air gets filtered, warmed, and humidified in the nose. The nose hairs trap large particles present in the air while smaller particles are trapped by septum as air moves further down the tract. The filtered air moves through the trachea, which functions as the passageway to the lungs. Complete gas exchange occurs when the inspired oxygenated air moves from the alveolar side to the capillary side.

Structure of the cardiovascular system

The cardiovascular system is designed to facilitate the transportation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood and also delivers nutrients to the different body organs. The cardiovascular system consists of several blood vessels and the heart which functions as the pump that facilitates the movement of blood through the vessels to body cells and tissues. The heart has valves that direct blood flows through the ventricles to the vessels, but they do not permit the backward flow of blood. Gas exchange occurs when oxygenated blood is pumped into the circulation system while blood deficient of oxygen is moved to the lungs for exhalation.

The coronary arteries bring blood rich in oxygen into the myocardium while the cardiac veins drain blood with carbon dioxide from the myocardium. Every heartbeat has systole and diastole, which together complete the cardiac cycle. The contraction of the heart, also known as the systole, ejects blood into the cardiac veins. The relaxation of the heart, also referred to as diastole, draws blood from the arteries, thus filling the ventricles. The amount of blood pumped by the heart gives the cardiac output per minute, which is an indicator of the functioning of the heart.

Respiratory and circulatory function

Several factors influence the respiratory and the circulatory functions that support the oxygenation process. Key elements include personal lifestyle, health status, environment, age, and gender. Lifestyle factors, such as physical exercise and diet, have an impact on respiratory functions. Physical activity increases the efficiency of the heart muscles, thus improving respiratory services. The respiratory rate is dependent on age, and therefore, it is highest in new-borns and gradually declines as individual ages. During infancy, the heart rates are highly irregular, decreasing, and increasing rapidly with each breath. The risks of suffering from respiratory problems such as pneumonia and hypertension rise significantly with age. The respiratory rates are higher in healthy people than in sick people since the health status affects the oxygen needs of an individual.

Pharmacological agents and psychological issues such as stress also affect respiratory functions. Stress and medications such as sedatives and anxiety drugs reduce the rate of respiratory rates in an individual. Environmental factors such as altitude, heat conditions, and air pollution have an impact on the respiratory functions of the body - the respiratory rates increase as the altitude increases, and vice versa. Heat conditions affect cardiac action, thus affecting the need for oxygen. During hot conditions, the demand for oxygen increases increase cardiac activity and the respiratory rates. In contrast, during cold conditions, the respiratory rates are at their lowest.

Respiratory alterations

Several conditions affect the respiratory functions in the body. These conditions affect the open airway, movement of air, diffusion, and transportation of gases. The obstruction of the airway significantly alters the respiratory functions. Such blockages can be caused by foreign particles such as food and excess accumulation of mucus along the passageways. The movement of air down the airway can be affected by changes in breathing patterns such as rate, rhythm, volume, among others. Hyperventilation is a condition that alters the respiratory function by increasing the movement of air in the body. The respiratory rates and depth increase during hyperventilation resulting in more elimination of carbon dioxide.

Conditions that affect the diffusion of gases into the circulatory system have the impact of altering the respiratory functions. Such circumstances include collapsed alveoli or a decline in levels of haemoglobin. Impaired diffusion of gases reduces the levels of oxygen in the blood, causing hypoxemia. Impaired diffusion directly affects the ability of body cells to meet the oxygenation requirements. Inadequate oxygenation dramatically affects the functioning of the cerebral cortex. Other conditions, such as heart failure affect the transportation of blood into and out of the lungs.

Cardiovascular alterations

Several conditions cause changes that affect cardiovascular functions in the body. Cardiovascular alterations affect cardiac output, tissue perfusion, blood composition, among others. The cardiac output is affected by any alterations in the structure and functioning of the heart. Heart defects such as damage of valves and congenital heart conditions alter the flow of blood affecting oxygen supply to the body tissues. The destruction of cardiac muscles affects their contraction and relaxation, leading to a decline in cardiac output. Heart failure is a cardiac malfunction which occurs when the ventricles are unable to eject blood. Heart failure is caused by excessive hypertension, arteriosclerosis, disease of the heart muscles, among others.

Cardiovascular alterations which affect the flow of blood to body cells and organs can result in tissue perfusion. Obstructions in the blood vessels narrow the blood passageway leading in less blood flowing to the tissues. Several disorders such as blood clots, inflammations of blood vessels, and arterial spasm can impair the flow of blood through the vessels causing difficulty in the diffusion of oxygen and nutrients across the tissues. Cardiovascular functions can also be affected by blood alterations such as reduced levels of haemoglobin and low blood volumes negatively affect tissue oxygenation.

Nurses role and nursing measures

Nurses play an essential role in assessing the status of oxygenation and circulation processes in an individual. Such assessment includes checking nursing history, conducting a physical examination, and review of diagnostic information (Kozier, 2017). The nursing history should be comprehensive enough to include data on any respiratory and cardiovascular defects, the presence of pain, heart medications, blood pressure, and circulation levels. Risks factors which may impair circulatory status are also listed in the nursing history of a patient.

Physical examination also provides an assessment of a patient's oxygenation status. The nurse inspects the respiratory rates, depth, and rhythm to assess for any difficulties in breathing. The nurse evaluates the cardiovascular system by examining the blood pressures and pulses to determine the strength and quality. Other activities such as assessing skin color, hair distribution, body temperatures provide more information about the cardiovascular system. Lastly, diagnostic tests are run to examine the oxygenation levels and the functioning of the respiratory and circulatory systems. The nurse takes sputum samples, blood specimens, and throat cultures to carry out respiratory function tests.

Conclusion

In summary, nurses play a crucial caring role that helps clients with respiratory problems. Nurses can encourage breathing exercises to help clients healing from pneumonia and thoracic surgery. Breathing exercises such as abdominal breathing improves the patient's inhalation by reducing the effort required to complete full breaths. Pursed breathing is important in helping the patient to develop total control over their breathing. Forceful coughing is effective in removing secretions that cause vessel obstructions.

Reference

Kozier, B. J., Glenora Erb BScN, R. N., Berman, A. T., Snyder, S., Madeleine Buck, R. N., Ferguson, L., & Lucia Yiu, R. N. (2017). Fundamentals of Canadian nursing: Concepts, process, and practice. Pearson Canada.