hyperbaric oxygenation

Hyperbaric oxygenation

Administration of oxygen in a compression chamber at an ambient pressure greater than 1 atmosphere, in order to increase the amount of oxygen in organs and tissues.

Mentioned in: Retinal Artery Occlusion

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hyperbaric oxygenation

Etymology: Gk, hyper + baros, weight, oxys, sharp, genein, to produce

the administration of oxygen at greater than normal atmospheric pressure. The procedure is performed in specially designed chambers that permit the delivery of 100% oxygen at atmospheric pressure that is three times normal. The technique is used to overcome the natural limit of oxygen solubility in blood, which is about 0.3 mL of oxygen per 100 mL of blood. In hyperbaric oxygenation, dissolved oxygen can be increased to almost 6 mL per 100 mL and the PO₂ in blood may be nearly 2000 mm Hg at 3 atmospheres absolute. Hyperbaric oxygenation has been used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, air embolism, smoke inhalation, acute cyanide poisoning, decompression sickness, wounds, clostridial myonecrosis, and certain cases of blood loss or anemia in which increased oxygen transport may compensate in part for hemoglobin deficiency. Factors limiting the usefulness of hyperbaric oxygenation include the hazards of fire and explosive decompression, pulmonary damage and neurologic toxicity at high atmospheric pressures, cardiovascular debility of the patient, and the need to interrupt treatments repeatedly because exposures at maximum atmospheric pressures must be limited to 90 minutes. Also called hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

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hyperbaric

characterized by greater than normal pressure or weight; applied to gases under greater than atmospheric pressure, or to a solution of greater specific gravity than another taken as a standard of reference.

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hyperbaric oxygenation

exposure to oxygen under conditions of greatly increased pressure; abbreviated HPO, for high-pressure oxygenation. This treatment is given to patients who, for various reasons, need more oxygen than they can take in by breathing while in the ordinary atmosphere, or even in an oxygen tent.

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oxygenation

saturation with oxygen.

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hyperbaric oxygenation

exposure to oxygen under conditions of greatly increased pressure See also hyperbaric oxygenation.