From TheBestLinks.com
Oxygen is toxic at elevated partial pressures and oxygen toxicity can therefore occur whenever the oxygen partial pressure is substantially elevated for more than a few hours. Oxygen toxicity is a diving disorder and also a potential complication of mechanical ventilation.
When diving, oxygen toxicity may be caused by breathing any breathing gas at the high pressure of depth. Often, a gas mix such as Trimix is formulated to help offset these risks.
In humans, there are several types of oxygen toxicity:
- Central nervous system oxygen toxicity is caused by breathing oxygen at above 1 bar for periods over two hours. At 1.6 bar or more partial pressures of oxygen, a dangerous exposure period may as little as seconds or minutes. Divers may suffer a an epileptic fit, which although not lethal in itself, can cause drowning or lethal pressure damage from rapid ascent.
- Pulmonary oxygen toxicity is caused by exposure over 16 hours to partial pressures of 0.5 bar or more. The damage to the lungs may be irreversible. This is rare complication in divers, but may be of concern in intensive care patients needing high inspired oxygen concentrations.
Related links
Top visited
0 of
0 links
[no links posted yet]
>> place link >>
Discussion
Last posted
0 of
0 messages
[no messages posted yet]
>> post message >>
Watch
You can
add this article to your own "watchlist" and receive e-mail notification about all changes in this page.
