Inhalations of atmospheric pollutants, especially particulate matters, are known to cause severe cardiac effects and to exacerbate preexisting heart disease. Heart failure is an important sequellae of gaseous inhalation such as that of carbon monoxide. Similarly, other gases such as sulphur dioxide are known to cause detrimental cardiovascular events. However, mechanisms of these cardiac toxici...

The responses of intracranial pressure (ICP) to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy and arterial gas pressures were investigated. ICP was measured through a ventricular or spinal drainage catheter in patients with brain tumor or cerebrovascular disease. Changes in ICP, heart rate (HR), arterial blood pressure (ABP), and transcutaneous partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PtcCO2) or oxygen (PtcO2) we...

A method for the detection and quantification of left-to-right intracardiac shunts is described which utilizes a single breath inhalation of oxygen-15 labeled carbon dioxide (C15O2). The inhaled gas rapidly crosses the alveolar membrane and the oxygen-15 label is exchanged through the carbonate cycle to form oxygen-15 labeled water within the pulmonary capillary blood. Pulmonary indicator clear...

Inhaled anticholinergics may be the first-line therapy for stable COPD. However, the effect of inhaled anticholinergic agents on exercise capacity is still controversial. Fourteen patients with stable COPD (age, 64.6 +/- 5.9 years) completed a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial. All the patients were studied by symptom-limited progressive cycle ergometry before and 90 m...

BACKGROUND Sevoflurane can be used as sedative-analgesic drug with endothelial protective properties. We tested whether low-dose sevoflurane inhalation provides sustained inhibition of detrimental granulocyte-platelet aggregation in humans. METHODS Ten healthy male volunteers were enrolled in this crossover study. Each subject inhaled sevoflurane for 1 h at 0.5-1 vol % end-tidal concentration...

BACKGROUND: Nitrous oxide (N2O) provides sedation for procedures that result in constant low-intensity pain. How long do individuals remain sleepy after receiving N2O? We hypothesized that drug effects would be apparent for an hour or more. METHODS: This was a randomized, double blind controlled study. On three separate occasions, volunteers (N = 12) received 100% oxygen or 20% or 40% N2O for 3...

The effects of inhalation anesthesia (2% isoflurane, sevoflurane, or enflurane) and intraperitoneal anesthesia with pentobarbital (65 mg/kg) were compared in rats using an electrocardiogram (ECG) and determination of blood oxygen saturation (SPO2) levels. Following inhalation anesthesia, heart rate (HR) and SPO2 were acceptable while pentobarbital anesthesia decreased HR and SPO2 significantly....

BACKGROUND Some endurance athletes exhibit exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia during high-intensity exercise. Inhalation of hyperoxic gas during exercise has been shown to counteract this exercise-associated reduction in hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SaO2), but the effects of hyperoxic gas inhalation on performance and SaO2 during high-intensity intermittent exercise remain unclear. This study...