Hyperbaric oxygenation, limitation

The effects of oxygen breathing on cognition in healthy people has only received limited attention. In the 1970s, Edwards and Hart examined the effects of hyperbaric oxygen administration on healthy elderly outpatients and found substantial... 

In cases of acute intoxication, removal of the individual from the exposure source and maintenance of respiration is essential, followed by administration of oxygen—the specific antagonist to CO— within the limits of oxygen toxicity. With room air at 1 atm, the elimination half-time of CO is about 320 minutes with 100% oxygen, the half-time is about 80 minutes and with hyperbaric oxygen (2-3 atm), the half-time can be reduced to about 20 minutes. 

Limitations Associated with Pressure and Hyperbaric Oxygenation. 94... 

Is high pressure oxygen therapy a fad that will soon fade Is there a sound basis for current enthusiasm What are the prospects for its future What are the present problems and limitations associated with this new form of therapy What areas require more intensive investigation if the full therapeutic potentialities of hyperbaric oxygenation are to be realized It is the purpose of this review to discuss various aspects of this subject in an attempt to answer many of these questions. 

B. Specific drugs and antidotes. Theoretically, administration of nitrites (see p 476) to produce methemoglobinemia may promote conversion of sulfide ions to sulfmethemoglobin, which is far less toxic. However, there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of nitrites, and they can cause hypotension and impaired oxygen delivery. Animal data and limited human case reports have suggested that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO, see p 482) may be helpful if provided early after exposure, but this therapy remains unproven. 

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