What are some medical uses for oxygen?

Oxygen therapy treats patients who have medical conditions that require extra oxygen, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, a severe asthma attack, last stage heart failure and cystic fibrosis, according to MedlinePlus. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a different type of oxygen therapy that treats serious infections and wounds.

In medical settings, patients receive oxygen therapy through a nasal cannula, face mask or a transtracheal that a doctor surgically inserts into the neck, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment in which patients breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized tube or room, explains Mayo Clinic. It treats patients with such issues as serious infections and wounds that fail to heal due to diabetes or radiation.