Oxygen hyperbaric chambers

Q QZ9 How does a hyperbaric oxygen chamber work to assist human healing ... 

Doctor Hart knows what hyperbaric oxygen can do. Upon arriving at the hospital, he immediately had himself checked into a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. His chest pain was immediately relieved, and he went on to recover from his heart attack. 

There is a direct relationship between the amount of oxygen in a cancer mass (tumor) and the effectiveness of X-ray. The more oxygen present, the more lethal the X-ray to cancer cells. The hyperbaric oxygen chambers mentioned previously would probably work, but there is no way to get the X-ray to the patient if he is sealed in a tank, under pressure. A large room which also puts the X-ray equipment under pressure would have to be built. This would be prohibitively expensive, and the danger of explosion would always be present. 

Hospitals buy 400-L cylinders of oxygen gas compressed at 150 atm. They administer oxygen to patients at 3.0 atm in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. What voliune of oxygen can a cylinder supply at this pressure ... 

Gas gangrene is very difficult to treat. Because the bacteria establish an anaerobic region of cell death and cut off the local circulation, systemic antibiotics do not infiltrate the wound and kin the bacteria. Even our immune response is stymied. Treatment usually involves surgical removal of the necrotic tissue accompanied by antibiotic therapy. In some cases a hyperbaric oxygen chamber is employed. The infected extremity is placed in an environment with a very high partial pressure of oxygen. The oxygen forced into the tissues is poisonous to the bacteria, and they die. 

Bern, J., Bern, S., and Singh, A., Use of hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the management of radiation-related complications of the anorectal region report of two cases and review of the literature. Dm. Colon Rectum, 43 (10), 1435-1438,2000. 

A hyperbaric oxygen chamber, in which oxygen is at Ui elevated pcuTicd pressure, is used to treat certain types of disease. Ccubon monoxide poisoning can be treated in this way, as can the consequences of shock Diseases that are caused by anaerobic bacteria, such as gas gangrene and tetanus, can also be treated because the bacteria cannot thrive in high oxygen concentrations. 

In the past, hyperbaric oxygenation as a medical procedure has received considerable attention. In this treatment the patient is given pure oxygen and may be placed in a pressurized chamber. In effect, the patient may thus receive >400 kPa (>4 atm) of pure oxygen. Beneficial results in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, severe bums, and other difficulties are often achieved as a result of this treatment. 

You may have heard of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) chambers being used to treat sports injuries. A high oxygen concentration in the blood causes blood vessels to constrict. This lowers the swelling that can occur in injured tissues. How is this high oxygen content delivered to the blood ... 

E4. Esmond, W. G., Attar, S., and Cowley, R. A., Hyperbaric oxygenation in experimental hemorrhagic shock experimental chamber design and operation. Trans. Am. Soc. Artificial Internal Organs 8, 384-391 (1962). 

VIO. Vermeulen-Cranch, D. M. E., Anesthesia in a high pressure chamber. In Clinical Application of Hyperbaric Oxygen (I. Boerema, W. H. Brummelkamp, and N. G. Meijne, eds.) pp. 205-208. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1964. 

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) chambers have been used since the 1940s. They were used then by the Navy to treat divers with decompression sickness. In the last 20 years, researchers have shown that HBO treatment has many more medical applications. One of these applications is healing bone and muscle injuries. 

Current applications are the HBO-Chambers (Hyperbaric Oxygenation), in which oxygen is administered under increased pressure. 

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