Why is oxygen therapy – allowing a patient to breathe in an atmosphere in which the proportion of oxygen is greater than 20 % – benefi cial? Because the A. partial pressure of CO 2 in the inhaled air is decreased making it easier to clear CO 2 from the lungs. B. partial pressure of oxygen in the lungs is increased allowing more oxygen to dissolve in the alveolar fl uid. C. oxygen molecule is smaller than the nitrogen molecule so a greater number of moles of air can be drawn into the lungs with each breath. D. patient is required to inhale less frequently and this reduces the strain on the respiratory system
Option B. Because the partial pressure of oxygen in the lungs is increased allowing more oxygen to dissolve in the alveolar fl uid.
