Talk:Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
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Can somebody please explain which therapeutic mechanism is at work in air/gas embolism? It seems quite plausible that it is the overall pressure which would serve to minimize the volume of any given amount of gas, but I don't have any references for that. Comments, please? Kosebamse 21:08, 11 Feb 2004 (UTC)
Indeed the pressure causes a decrease in the volume and therefor surface area of the bubble. The bubble acts to stop blood flow in the vessel in which it is impacted. Decreasing the surface area causes the bubble to migrate peripherally and thus impact smaller vessels. The bubble is comprised of 79% nitrogen. Using 100% oxygen causes a nitrogen gradient which causes the bubble to dissolve over time.
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[edit] eyesight
After regular treatment (for unrelated ailments), my uncle reports that he no longer needs his thick glasses for driving. 68.167.2.149
This is probably due to a side effect of hyperbaric oxygen that is poorly understood. Some people find that after usually 20-30 treatments with hyperbaric oxygen they develop short sightedness (myopia). This may infact have the effect of correcting your uncles hypermetropia (long sightedness)to a small degree "improving" his eyesight.
Unfortunately the effect is usually temporary and resolves within 6 weeks to 4 months after the end of treatment.
[edit] Suggest Defining "Hyperbaric"
This may sound obvious, but the article launches into HBOT without defining the term "hyperbaric". Many readers will not know what that means. In fact HBOT is so common that sometimes "hyperbaric" is merely assumed to mean HBOT, whereas the actual definition is "of, relating to, or utilizing greater than normal pressure". Joema 23:35, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
[edit] 4.1 PSI
4.1 PSI is not the pressure at 10 ft below water
No, but it's the gauge pressure of a gauge zeroed at sea level. Whoever put in that fact meant 4.1 psi gauge pressure or overpressure, not 4.1 psi absolute (which should ring alarms right there as it's, oh, dangerously lower than the standard atmosphere). Why point out the mistake if one isn't going to take the time to fix it? --The Centipede 12:38, 5 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Practicing Physicians
Why are most certified physicians who use hyperbaric medicine for clinical purposes anesthesiologists?
Probably because hyperbaric oxygen therapy uses pure oxygen, there's still a debate on whether or not pure oxygen is a euphoric, and it's probably a matter of "better safe than sorry." Anesthesiologists would be expected to know the narcotic (term used very loosely) limits and toxicity of pure oxygen better than, say, a general practicioner and HBOT strikes me as a bit too ground-level for those relatively rare doctors that specialize in organic chemistry. --The Centipede 12:34, 5 March 2007 (UTC)
