Popular science | A simple understanding of "hyperbaric oxygen"

Under extreme circumstances, a person can go without food for six days and without drinking water for six days, but if he does not take in oxygen for six minutes, he will die. Why?

Because humans need oxygen for aerobic metabolism, which is the main way to obtain energy. Problems with aerobic metabolism in any part of the human body can lead to disease. The occurrence, development and prognosis of many human diseases are related to hypoxia. Most of the hospital beds will have an oxygen supply device installed at the bedside for patients to use.

Hyperbaric oxygen is a relatively advanced way of health care and rehabilitation. In a hyperbaric oxygen environment, it can increase the blood oxygen content and blood oxygen partial pressure of the human body, and increase the diffusion distance of oxygen.

To put it simply, hyperbaric oxygen is to increase the penetration of oxygen under high pressure within a safe range. This increase in penetration has two meanings. One is that external oxygen is more likely to enter the blood vessels of the lungs. Therefore, the ability of the human body to absorb oxygen is improved; the second is that the blood pumped from the heart contains more oxygen, and when the blood flows to various tissues and organs, the tissues and organs can use more oxygen. So we can conclude that hyperbaric oxygen can enable the human body to take in and use more oxygen.

Secondly, for the infection caused by anaerobic bacteria, and hyperbaric oxygen is an oxygen-rich environment, anaerobic bacteria can only grow in a low-oxygen or anaerobic environment, and its growth and reproduction are inhibited in a hyperbaric oxygen environment, so it is said Hyperbaric oxygen has anti-anaerobe infection effect.

Hyperbaric oxygen also has the effect of compressing and dissolving the air bubbles imprisoned in the body, so it has a unique curative effect on air embolism and decompression sickness.

Hyperbaric oxygen can also improve microcirculation, just like the swelling of our limbs, or conditions such as cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, and retinal edema. Hyperbaric oxygen can shrink blood vessels, improve the permeability of capillaries, and reduce edema. Hyperbaric oxygen in this regard Can act directly or indirectly.

• The difference between hyperbaric oxygen and atmospheric oxygen

The first is the difference in oxygen concentration. Hyperbaric oxygen has a higher oxygen concentration than normal-pressure oxygen.

In addition, in terms of pressure, normal pressure is to inhale oxygen in our usual air, while hyperbaric oxygen is a depressurization process, which is to perform oxygen therapy in an environment higher than one atmospheric pressure.

• What is the difference between a person receiving oxygen in an oxygen chamber and receiving oxygen under atmospheric pressure?

Blood is divided into blood cells and plasma.

The way blood carries oxygen under normal pressure mainly depends on our hemoglobin. After this part of oxygen is fully saturated, the oxygen concentration in the plasma will not change much, which explains why our anemic people will be in a state of chronic hypoxia for a long time among.

In hyperbaric oxygen, in addition to carrying oxygen through hemoglobin, the body can be directly absorbed and utilized by the cells of the body. It can also continuously increase the physical dissolved oxygen in the plasma through a high-pressure environment. Its solubility is 20 times higher than that under normal pressure. Therefore, It can quickly increase the oxygen content in the body and increase the diffusion distance of oxygen, thus changing the hypoxic state of various tissues and organs and promoting the improvement of the functions of various tissues and organs.

• What should be paid attention to when using hyperbaric oxygen?

When most people come into contact with hyperbaric oxygen for the first time, especially when they see a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, like a submarine, they may feel fearful and nervous. In fact, you don’t need to be nervous. Although the oxygen chamber is pressurized, its pressure is Equivalent to the pressure of 1-3 meters in water depth, it is absolutely harmless to the human body, and the gas inside is circulating, so safety is absolutely guaranteed

The difference between a medical hyperbaric oxygen chamber and a micro hyperbaric oxygen chamber