A health care provider prescribes oxygen given in low concentration rather than in high concentration to a client with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). What does this prevent?

Under normal conditions, the respiratory center produces, every 5 seconds, a nerve impulse that stimulates the contraction of the thoracic muscles and diaphragm, inspiring us. The Respiratory Center is capable of increasing and decreasing both the frequency and range of respiratory movements because it has chemoreceptors that are very sensitive to plasma pH. This capability allows tissues to receive as much oxygen as they need and properly removes carbon dioxide. When the blood becomes more acidic due to the increase in carbon dioxide, the respiratory center induces the acceleration of breathing movements. Thus, both the frequency and amplitude of breathing become increased due to excitation of the Respiratory Center.

In the opposite situation, there is depression of the Respiratory Center, which causes a decrease in respiratory frequency and amplitude, ie, causes a decrease in breathing. To prevent depression of the respiratory center, a healthcare professional prescribes low-concentration rather than high-concentration oxygen to a client with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).