Oxygen Toxicity & Barotrauma Management 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.
Read the first 7 Oxygen Toxicity & Barotrauma Management flashcards as text
The Unit Pulmonary Toxicity Dose (UPTD) is used in HBO therapy to track:
Answer: Cumulative pulmonary oxygen exposure to prevent pulmonary toxicity
UPTD is a mathematical unit that quantifies cumulative pulmonary oxygen exposure across multiple treatments, helping clinicians schedule safe HBO therapy and prevent pulmonary oxygen toxicity.
What is the most dangerous manifestation of CNS oxygen toxicity for a patient inside a hyperbaric chamber?
Answer: Grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizure
A grand mal seizure is the most dangerous CNS oxygen toxicity outcome because it can cause physical injury in the confined chamber space and aspiration if the patient loses airway control while masked.
A multiplace chamber patient begins having a tonic-clonic seizure. The correct immediate sequence is:
Answer: Remove oxygen mask, protect patient from injury, then decompress the chamber safely
Removing the oxygen mask interrupts the CNS oxygen toxicity trigger; protecting the patient from injury addresses immediate safety; safe decompression follows once the seizure is controlled.
Why does hypercapnia increase the risk of CNS oxygen toxicity during HBO therapy?
Answer: Cerebral vasodilation from CO2 increases brain oxygen delivery, lowering the seizure threshold
Elevated CO2 causes cerebral vasodilation, which increases cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery to brain tissue, lowering the threshold for CNS oxygen toxicity seizures.
Inner ear barotrauma during HBO therapy may result in:
Answer: Permanent sensorineural hearing loss from round or oval window rupture
Inner ear barotrauma can rupture the round or oval window membranes, causing permanent sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction that may not resolve.
How do Type I and Type II decompression sickness differ?
Answer: Type I involves musculoskeletal and skin symptoms; Type II involves neurological, inner ear, or cardiopulmonary symptoms
Type I DCS involves musculoskeletal pain ('bends') and skin manifestations, while Type II (serious DCS) involves neurological, inner ear, or cardiopulmonary symptoms requiring urgent recompression.
A patient reports chest tightness during ascent in a hyperbaric chamber. The most appropriate immediate action is:
Answer: Stop ascent, encourage slow normal breathing, and assess for pulmonary overpressurization injury
Chest tightness during decompression is a warning sign of possible pulmonary barotrauma; stopping ascent and assessing the patient prevents progression to pulmonary overpressurization injury or arterial gas embolism.