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Show A New Way to Save lives chambers are successfully treating victims of severe burns, carbon monoxide cancer, strokes; their potential seems limitless By THEODORE IRWIN Since it opened its HBO facilities more than two years ago, the medical center has pressurized more than 700 patients. At St. Barnabas there are two master chambers, each capable of treating 15 patients at a time and equipped for surgery. Three individual chambers are devoted to radiation therapy, research, and other purposes. With its own helicopter and landing area, St. Barnab s often receives dangerously ill or dying patients flown in from many parts of the country. Who can benefit from HBO ? Victims of poisoning like Mrs. Gold. In such cases, the poisonous gas works its damage by preventing hemoglobin in the red blood corpuscles from transporting oxygen from the lungs to body tissues. Mrs. Gold might have died from asphyxia (lack of onygen), but under HBO, her blood plasma could send enough oxygen to her body to save her life. Frostbite also has been effectively treated with pressured oxygen. Nearly drowned scuba divers have been resuscitated; sickly or dying "blue babies" have turned healthy pink, able to withstand surgery impossible only a few years ago. Victims of blood poisoning involved in highway accidents also have benefited. The most dramatic results have been achieved against gas gangrene. When this results from dirty wounds, bacteria cause the diseased tissue to become filled with dangerous gas and a discharge. When an arm or leg ia involved, amputation generally is about the only solution for'survival. Since the microbes live and thrive only in the absence of oxygen, when the body is soaked in oxygen, destruction is halted, and the process is reversed. Recently, Mrs. Geneva Pugh of Coatesville, Pa., suffering from extended gas gangrene, was flown to St. Barnabas. She was given 24 hyperbaric treatments, and in 11 days the dangerous infection was completely controlled. HBO has worked miracles even in abdominal gas gangrene when, of course, the abdomen can't be surgically removed. A Newark, NJ., housewife, who contracted the infection carbon-monoxi- blood-seru- de after an appendicitis operation, was not expected to live. At St. Barnabas, 27 HBO treatments made her well enough to return home. In strokes, too, HBO is reported to be effective. Leaving his office one afternoon, a businessman suddenly developed double vision, felt numbness on one side of his face, and couldn't walk forward. He had suffered a stroke. Within 15 minutes of his first hyperbaric treatment, his double vision vanished. Four more days of "diving" permitted him to walk. Today, instead of being a permanent invalid, he leads a full life. As for cancer, especially that of the head, neck, and esophagus, HBO's advantages lie in treating tumors that resist therapy. Under oxygen pressure, such tumors become about three times more sensitive to radiation, so that the chances of killing them are greater. "Our results with 22 patients," says Dr. Peter Gianquinto, director of the radiology department at St. Barnabas, "in which 150 treatments by radiation under HBO were given, leaves no question of the method's increased efficiency." X-r- ay burgers. With some of these cancers, death might have come within a month or two. Trying to k?"p pace with other medical advances, the St. Barnabas doctors have thus far performed six operations in pressured-oxyge- n chambers. Cryosurgery (the frozen-knif- e technique ) has been done under HBO to reduce the hazards to a high-ris- k elderly man with an enlarged prostate. Last year, the first organ transplant of a kidney under hyperbaric conditions was achieved at St. Barnabas. The donor kidney came from a girl who had died in a car crash. The recipient was the father of a classmate. Two connecting chambers were used for the procedure: one for exthe other for the implant. traction, The transplant was a triumph. What are the drawbacks and limitations of HBO? Some people are to oxygen. Still, out of more than 10,000 treatments at St. Barnabas, only three patients have felt the side effect of mild convulsions. When such signs appear, the mask is removed, the patient breathes open-hea- rt six-ho- ur extra-sensiti- patient who was given HBO. Much depends on how hyperbaric medicine is practiced. and experienced doctors and technicians carefully keep the period of exposure well within bounds of medical safety. Every "dive" must be scientifically controlled so that HBO is not misused. "We don't claim HBO is a cure-allcautions Dr. Charles C. Abbott, chief of surgery at St. Barnabas. "As supportive treatment in certain infections and disorders, we are convinced it is a big plus. Except for such conditions as gas gangrene and carbon monoxide poisoning where we have mounting evidence of its effectiveness hyperbaric medicine is still largely experimental in many other areas. One thing is sure : we're all going to hear a great deal more about it in the next few years." Eventually HBO could even have an important bearing on longevity. "With aging," says Doctor Abbott, "there are significant changes in tissue composition, some associated with decreased oxygen intake. Oxygen is important to vital functions, and with aging there's increased sensitivity to oxygen deprivation. Thus, extensive research on a possible relationship must be done to determine what influence can be derived from hyperbaric oxygenation to forestall and diminish some of the effects of aging." Through research, not only at St. Barnabas but also at Duke University and other medical centers around the globe, investigators are probing the apparently limitless uses of this extraordinary technique. Some day soon, "taking a dive" may become a way of life in the medical and surWell-train- ed ," cause-and-ef-fe- m gas-gangre-ne I Patients . .. 1 Uli ! IllllWllin HI IIIW - MB by helicopter to a hyperbaric chamber lllll " I" Ill are rushed Doctor Gianquinto cites the case of man with an inoperable malignant tumor on his neck the size of a baby's head. He was choking to death. After six radiation treatments within a chamber, the tumor melted away. A woman had cancer of the esophagus, which kept her from swallowing even her own saliva. After the combination treatment, she could eat ham a high-pressu- re et gical world. MM at St. Barnabas. ordinary air, and soon gets over the discomfort. Prolonged exposure to pressurized oxygen can be dangerous, particularly to the eyes, lungs, and central nervous system. But this can be minimized by carefully scheduled doses and monitoring. According to Doctor Bernhard, at least one patient's death has been attributed to "pulmonary oxygen toxicity" (oxygen lung poisoning) in a Correct First Steps Often Save Lives in Emergencies Learn vital first steps to take in han- dling hundreds of common medical emergencies infection, blood poisonings, severe burns, frostbite, convulsions, diabetes --and more! Have available information that may save the life of someone dear to you. Mail only $6.95 plus 35t shipping for "The New Modern Home Physician" to F. W. Books, Dept. AU8, Box 707, Grand Central Station, New York, N. Y. 10017. Complete sets of male and female anatomical manikins included free. Family Weekly, Septen.ber tt, 1969 s |