What is the primary goal of oxygen therapy?

• A. Decrease oxygen consumption
• B. Increase hematocrit
• C. Normalize blood pressure
• D. Improve tissue oxygenation by increasing arterial oxygen content

Answer: (D)

The main idea is to boost oxygen delivery to tissues by raising the amount of oxygen carried in arterial blood. Supplemental oxygen increases the partial pressure of oxygen in the lungs, which raises arterial oxygen content by increasing both the oxygen dissolved in plasma and the saturation of hemoglobin. With more oxygen carried per liter of blood, tissues receive more oxygen for metabolism, helping prevent hypoxic injury. Oxygen delivery depends on arterial oxygen content and cardiac output, so improving CaO2 directly supports tissue oxygenation.

Other options don’t fit because decreasing oxygen consumption targets demand rather than supply, increasing hematocrit changes red cell mass rather than oxygen saturation through inhaled oxygen, and normalizing blood pressure is a cardiovascular goal separate from the primary aim of enhancing oxygen delivery.