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Hyperbaric Medicine Principles & Physiology Flashcards

7 cards from real CHS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which cell type is most responsible for the angiogenic response stimulated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy in wound healing?

    Answer: Endothelial cells

    HBO2 upregulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in endothelial cells, driving neovascularization in hypoxic wound tissue.

  2. Boyle's Law is most directly applied when calculating the risk of which hyperbaric injury?

    Answer: Pulmonary barotrauma during ascent

    Boyle's Law (P1V1 = P2V2) explains gas expansion during ascent; if a diver breath-holds, expanding lung gas can cause pulmonary barotrauma.

  3. What is the primary reason hyperbaric oxygen is effective in carbon monoxide poisoning beyond simply displacing CO from hemoglobin?

    Answer: It accelerates CO dissociation from intracellular myoglobin and cytochrome oxidase

    HBO2 accelerates CO dissociation from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase and myoglobin, restoring cellular respiration beyond what normobaric oxygen achieves.

  4. During a hyperbaric treatment at 2.4 ATA breathing 100% O2, what approximate dissolved oxygen (mL O2/dL blood) is present in plasma alone?

    Answer: 6.0 mL/dL

    At 2.4 ATA with 100% O2, PO2 ≈ 1,800 mmHg; using the solubility coefficient (~0.003 mL/dL/mmHg), dissolved O2 ≈ 5.4–6.0 mL/dL, sufficient to meet resting tissue needs.

  5. Which decompression sickness symptom pattern is classified as Type II (serious) DCS?

    Answer: Spinal cord or cerebral deficits

    Type II DCS involves serious manifestations including neurological symptoms such as spinal cord or cerebral involvement, versus Type I which involves musculoskeletal or skin symptoms only.

  6. What is the physiological basis for using hyperbaric oxygen to treat gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis)?

    Answer: High tissue PO2 inhibits the alpha toxin production of obligate anaerobic Clostridium species

    Clostridium perfringens is an obligate anaerobe; elevated tissue PO2 from HBO2 inhibits toxin production and bacterial growth, halting disease progression.

  7. The oxygen window (inherent unsaturation) is important in decompression theory because it:

    Answer: Creates a pressure gradient that facilitates inert gas elimination

    The oxygen window refers to the partial pressure 'vacancy' created by oxygen metabolism, providing a gradient that drives inert gas out of tissues during decompression.