MONDAY, Feb. 13 , 2012 (HealthDay News) -- Use of home oxygen in the United States has risen over the past decade, which has led to an increase in the number of patients with medical oxygen-related burn injuries, according to experts at the Burn Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
"Medical oxygen is 100 percent oxygen. This can raise the oxygen levels inside a structure causing many items that would not normally burn to more easily ignite and burn hotter and faster," Donna Joyner, a registered nurse in Trauma/Burn Outreach, said in a medical center news release.
"Burns resulting from the misuse of home oxygen can be life threatening; however, they are preventable," she added.
Joyner and the U.S. Fire Administration offer the following safety tips for the use of home oxygen:
More information
The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia has more about medical oxygen safety.