When is oxygen delivered during pulse-delivered oxygen therapy?

In pulse-delivered oxygen therapy, the correct timing for oxygen delivery is during the first quarter of inspiration. This method is designed to synchronize the delivery of oxygen with the patient's breathing pattern, ensuring that oxygen flow aligns with the initial phase of inhalation when the patient's demand for oxygen is typically increasing. By delivering oxygen at this point, the therapy maximizes the efficiency of oxygen use and helps enhance the effectiveness of supplementation, ensuring that patients receive oxygen when their respiratory efforts are most engaged.

This method contrasts with continuous oxygen delivery methods, which provide oxygen throughout the entire respiratory cycle, regardless of the patient's actual inhalation effort, leading to unnecessary oxygen use during exhalation or periods of lower demand.