Might help?

[FF]

Watching the BBC , India is a horror show.


My only medical training was watching MASH years ago, but,

But I remember in flight training the concept of "partial pressure of oxygen",up to about 12,000-14,000 feet , the body can breath .

Above that oxygen is required BUT even with pure oxygen going much higher requires pressure breathing.

Oxygen is forced into the lungs under pressure and it requires an effort to exhale, not fun .

There is not much oxygen in air but I wonder if air was pressurized weather more oxygen would enter the blood stream?

Might not be easy to pressurize grand mother , but a lot easier than watching her die in the back of a station wagon.

Any comments from the MD group?

 

[sbu22]

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a thing. The USNR unit I formerly commanded assisted (with USN authorization) an LSU MD/Prof in constructing a hyperbaric chamber on a hospital rooftop to provide prompt service to Gulf divers that suffered air/gas embolisms - this was the early 80s and there were plenty of customers. The Doc's MD partner and I have remained acquanted through the years.

During the 1918 Spanish (dare I say that?) flu pandemic, Dr. Orval Cunningham of Kansas City successfully treated a number of advanced cases using compressed air at something like 1.7 atm. Look him up and you can get the whole story.

The Doc I know has moved ahead with the hyperbaric treatments, including long term and successful treatment of TBI in wounded sandbox troops. Published research, not BS. Of course DoD and VA vehemently opposed the treatment because it costs money. Better to give them a pill and a shrink, eh?

In any case, the Doc remains a family friend and has, reportedly had significant success in treating C-19 with the elevated O2 therapy. I assure you, if I get the rot, he's where I'm headed. There seems to be, once again, pushback from our Betters on this treatment concept, just as DoD/VA in the other case. Lots more if you search.

 

[KnotYet]

There would be no argument likely against using hyperbaric O2 to treat symptoms
of O2 deprivation in COVID patients if that was all they required.

How many such chambers do you think are available? No pushback, just math once again...

 

[sbu22]

I'm sure there's a huge mismatch between existing capacity and wholesale treatment of C19 patients. This conversation has led me to look at this. HBOT has grown considerably since the pioneering efforts of my Doc friend. I was surprised to learn that TreatNOW, a vererans support group, has several dozen participating clinics across the US. 10-15 years ago, there were a handful and most of those would be properly termed as research facilities. The Doc in question waged a long-term uphill fight to get DOD/VA to fund HBOT for TBI/PTSD vets - Congressional hearings, shoe-string funding from vet organizations and individuals, naked opposition from DOD/VA and some medical journals that refused to publish such crazy ideas. Quite a story.

In any case, my non-MD response to Fred was intended to illustrate that his thinking is supported in the here and now.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. s22. I'm sure there are a number of treatments that might be used but the age old dilemma still remains....$$$. Same problem as noted in another thread "Vaccine distribution."

 

[sbu22]

RT - Agree as to cost and access. "Might be used" - it is being used successfully for his advanced C19 patients.

The point of my response was to support Fred's intuitive thoughts on treatment by means of hyperbaric O2.

 

[FF]

2, 50gal drums could be welded end on end and with a screw lid might take some psi . Thinking of India where keeping granny alive till a hospital bed opens .

Of course there would be a shortage of 50g drums?

 

[sbu22]

KY - It appears that there are about 1300 units in the US. Most are in service to aid diabetic wound healing. There seems to be some controversy as to its efficacy in that regard. MediCare appoves its use for that purpose and apparently pays well for the treatments, so most units are geared for that purpose. I couldn't find anything regarding other countries.

It is interesting that Cunningham's reported success with the Spanish flu patients used only 1.7 Atm air (not O2), relying on Dalton's Law principles to elevate the O2 supplied to the patient. I can't find anything regarding the physical design of that rig, other than it was borrowed from a diving contractor.