8 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this study is to understand how ketogenic food products affect oxygen toxicity in undersea divers. Oxygen toxicity affecting the central nervous system, mainly the brain, is a result of breathing higher than normal oxygen levels at elevated pressures as can be seen in SCUBA diving or inside a hyperbaric (pressure) chamber. This is a condition that may cause a wide variety of symptoms such as: vision disturbances, ear-ringing, nausea, twitching, irritability, dizziness, and potentially loss of consciousness or seizure. Because nutritional ketosis has been used to reduce or eliminate seizures in humans, it may be beneficial to reduce oxygen toxicity as well. The investigators hope this study will provide a help to develop practical and useful methods for improving the safety of undersea Navy divers, warfighters and submariners.
The purpose of this study is to understand how ketogenic food products affect oxygen toxicity in undersea divers. Oxygen toxicity affecting the central nervous system, mainly the brain, is a result of breathing higher than normal oxygen levels at elevated pressures as can be seen in SCUBA diving or inside a hyperbaric (pressure) chamber. This is a condition that may cause a wide variety of symptoms such as: vision disturbances, ear-ringing, nausea, twitching, irritability, dizziness, and potentially loss of consciousness or seizure. Because nutritional ketosis has been used to reduce or eliminate seizures in humans, it may be beneficial to reduce oxygen toxicity as well. The investigators hope this study will provide a help to develop practical and useful methods for improving the safety of undersea Navy divers, warfighters and submariners.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the mechanisms of oxygen toxicity in scuba divers. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How does the training of respiratory muscles affect oxygen toxicity? * How do environmental factors, such as sleep deprivation, the ingestion of commonly utilized medications, and chronic exposure to carbon dioxide, impact the risk of oxygen toxicity? * How does immersion in water affect the development of oxygen toxicity? Participants will be asked to do the following: * Undergo a basic screening exam composed of health history, vital signs, and some respiratory function tests * Train their respiratory muscles at regular intervals * Exercise on a cycle ergometer both in dry conditions and underwater/under pressure in the context of medication, sleep deprivation, or carbon dioxide exposure Researchers will compare the performance of each subject before and after the possible interventions described above to see if there are changes in exercise performance, respiratory function, cerebral blood flow, and levels of gene expression.
The purpose of this research study is to understand the effect of nutritional ketosis on CNS oxygen toxicity in undersea divers. The investigators hope this will provide a starting point to develop methods for improving the safety of Navy divers, warfighters and submariners.
Hypothesis: That HBOT can be toxic in the low-pressure range.
The objective of this study is to conduct an observational pre/post study to evaluate the clinical impact oxygen guideline implementation on oxygen utilization and oxygenation in critically ill trauma patients.
RATIONALE: Hyperbaric oxygen may increase blood flow and decrease swelling in areas of the brain damaged by radiation therapy. Giving hyperbaric oxygen therapy together with dexamethasone may be an effective treatment for radiation necrosis of the brain. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying how well hyperbaric oxygen therapy works in treating patients with radiation necrosis of the brain.
Carbon monoxide (CO) has been called a "silent killer", and those patients who survive CO poisoning are at risk of neurological damage, which may be permanent. CO is a leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States, and the odorless gas results in an estimated average of 20,636 emergency department (ED) visits each year. Oxygen is the antidote for CO poisoning, and it acts both by attenuating toxic effects and enhancing elimination. A fractional inspired concentration of oxygen (FiO2) of 0.7 to 0.9 may be achieved by administration of 100% oxygen delivered using a reservoir with a facemask that prevents rebreathing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may provide added benefit for patients with CO poisoning, but this therapy is unavailable in many parts of the United States including Vermont. Use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask may achieve an FiO2 of 1.0, but the effects of delivering an FiO2 of 1.0 compared to 0.7 in CO poisoning are unknown. CPAP, by comparison, is inexpensive, portable, and available in most EDs. In this study, the investigators are testing the hypothesis that oxygen delivered by CPAP will improve both CO washout kinetics and functional outcomes, compared to the standard therapy of oxygen delivered by non-rebreathing facemask. Specific Aim 1 will provide toxicokinetic data to support a potential benefit in the use of CPAP for CO poisoning, by comparing CO elimination kinetics in response to oxygen therapy delivered by non-rebreathing facemask versus CPAP. The 20 patients expected in our first year will provide adequate power to detect a 20% fall in half-time of CO elimination. While CPAP may increase CO washout rates, as predicted in Specific Aim 1, demonstration of real functional benefit will be tested in Specific Aim 2. This Aim seeks to determine functional (neuropsychological) outcomes in patients with CO poisoning treated with oxygen therapy delivered by non-rebreathing facemask versus CPAP. Data showing a therapeutic benefit from CPAP in CO poisoning would have clinical implications. Compared to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, CPAP therapy can begin earlier, including the pre-hospital setting, for patients with known exposure. With the frequent nature of CO poisoning and the widespread availability of CPAP, a potential benefit could lead to improved outcomes for the 20,000+ patients who present to EDs annually.