Oxygenation refers to the amount of oxygen in a medium. In blood it may be taken to be synonymous with saturation, which describes the degree to which the oxygen-carrying capacity of haemoglobin is utilised, normally 98-100%.
Oxygenation also refers to the process of adding oxygen to a medium such as water or body tissue. Claims have been made that oxygenation of human tissue prevent diseases, including cancer, however some regard these claims as unverifiable. Oxygenation of various fluorocarbon liquids has been used successfully in liquid breathing systems, allowing air-breathing animals, including humans, to breathe liquids for short periods of time.
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