Which statement describes RA (room air) in oxygen delivery?

Which statement describes RA (room air) in oxygen delivery?

• A. The patient is on oxygen via nasal cannula.
• B. The patient is on room air only.
• C. The patient is not on oxygen.
• D. The patient is intubated.

Answer: (C)

Room air means breathing ambient air with no extra oxygen being given. In clinical terms, the oxygen concentration a person breathes from room air is about 21%, since no supplemental oxygen devices are delivering more. So describing a patient as not on oxygen captures the essence of room air: there is no oxygen delivery equipment or settings being used. The other statements point to supplemental oxygen use (for example, oxygen via nasal cannula) or describe airway status rather than oxygen delivery alone (intubation), which is why they don’t describe room air. If someone is simply breathing without additional oxygen support, that’s room air.

Room air means breathing ambient air with no extra oxygen being given. In clinical terms, the oxygen concentration a person breathes from room air is about 21%, since no supplemental oxygen devices are delivering more. So describing a patient as not on oxygen captures the essence of room air: there is no oxygen delivery equipment or settings being used. The other statements point to supplemental oxygen use (for example, oxygen via nasal cannula) or describe airway status rather than oxygen delivery alone (intubation), which is why they don’t describe room air. If someone is simply breathing without additional oxygen support, that’s room air.