What medication is typically prescribed to manage hypoxemia in a patient who received a large dose of opioids?

Naloxone is the medication commonly prescribed to manage hypoxemia in a patient who has received a large dose of opioids. Opioids can lead to respiratory depression, which may result in decreased oxygen levels in the blood (hypoxemia). Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that effectively reverses the effects of opioids by displacing them from their receptors in the central nervous system, thereby restoring respiratory function and improving oxygen levels.

This makes Naloxone vital in emergency situations where opioid overdose is suspected, as it can rapidly reverse critical respiratory depression and prevent complications associated with hypoxemia, such as organ damage due to lack of oxygen.

Other options, while they have their own uses in medicine, do not specifically address the immediate need to counteract the effects of opioid-induced respiratory depression and hypoxemia. Aspirin is typically used as an anti-inflammatory and antipyretic, corticosteroids are utilized for their anti-inflammatory properties and to manage conditions such as severe allergic reactions or asthma, and furosemide is a diuretic often prescribed for fluid retention or heart failure but does not have a role in reversing the effects of opioids.