This article has been rated as "Start-class" since October 2007. Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.142.205.49 ( talk) 00:28, 2 November 2007 (UTC) Good Article? In fact, oxygen toxicity has been called "the sasquatch of the adult ICU: often feared but never actually seen". In fact, there is significant debate as to whether or not patients with respiratory failrue breathing 100% oxygen at low altitudes (that is, breathing gas that is 100% oxygen at an altitude where the partial pressure of oxygen will be greater than 0.5 bar). It is quite important to note that the concept of oxygen toxicity in adult pulmonary and critical care medicine is a controversial one. This makes the so-called article quite bizarre. The gas still needs to be diluted with something inert to avoid excess partial pressure -hence the use of Helium on deep dives that still need prolonged staged compression/decompression cycles.Ĭould anyone, even a non-expert, add to the "article" what Oxygen toxicity *is* ? The "article" says almost nothing about Oxygen toxicity beyond what is already conveyed by its title, but is especially notable for omitting a description of the symptoms. Hence the fact that you can't overcome the Bends by just breathing pure oxygen. At more than 2 bar the main problem is seizure activity. Bubbles forming in the pulmonary circulation cause intractable coughing - 'the chokes' Oxygen in high concentration causes a number of different effects. The lungs are first in line to receive the damageĭissolved Nitrogen coming out of solution on decompression causes the 'bends'. High partial pressures drive the production of 02 radicals and toxicity results from this - cell membrane damage etc. Mechanisms such as Super oxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione mop up these radicals. All cells are subject to oxidative stress via oxygen radicals. We frequently give 100% for tens of minutes at the start and finish of anaesthetics with no ill effect. In ICU doctors like to get people down to 60% as soon as possible to avoid toxicity (having given 100% to preserve life) 100% can only be given via anaesthetic circuits not facemasks that entrain air. Over time the cells can accommodate their defences and if the need to breathe 100% is arrived at over a few days it is less toxic. So the knock on effect is to get atelectasis,alveolar oedema and sometimes massive lung collapse. These are the cells that secrete surfactant and keep the alveoli open despite the tendency of Laplace’s law to close very small spaces. 'Society and Culture' sectionĬould any experts add some information about the mechanism of the intoxication? Or at least add something like "The mechanisms behind this is poorly understood"?- 218.191.131.92 12:13, (UTC)Īt normal pressure, breathing 100% Oxygen for more than an hour starts to cause chest pain and changes are seen in the Type 2 pneumocytes that line the alveoli. 30 Concerns regarding Pulmonary Toxicity section.28 A few more recent sources on oxygen toxicity.25.1 MOSNUM, EL, registration, copyright, etc.16 Moving forward with article reconstruction.