Fear of hypercapnia is leading to inadequate oxygen treatment

EDITOR—Patients with proved hypoxaemia who are receiving a fractional inspired oxygen concentration of only 24-35% can be found in wards throughout the United Kingdom. Even this is overstating the case since masks often do not deliver the set oxygen concentration, 1 2 and an ill fitting facemask with a resultant increase in entrained room air will further reduce the inspired oxygen concentration.3 I was therefore delighted by Bateman and Leach's statement that “Inadequate oxygen accounts for more deaths …