Abstract:
Air cysts or blebs in the lungs may predispose pulmonary barotrauma (PBT) by causing air trapping when there is a change in environmental pressure. The changes in the environmental pressure are also seen during hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT). The aim of this study was to determine how patients were evaluated for pulmonary blebs or bullae, and PBT prevalence in different HBOT centers. HBOT centers were asked to participate in this study and a questionnaire was send via e-mail. A total of 98 centers responded to our questionnaire. Sixty-five HBOT centers (66.3%) reported that they applied HBOT to the patients with air cysts in their lungs. X-ray was the most widely used screening method for patients with a history of a lung disease. The prevalence of PBT in theses centers was calculated as 0.00045%.
Toklu, Korpinar, Erelel, Uzun, Yildiz, , , , (2008). Are pulmonary bleb and bullae a contraindication for hyperbaric oxygen treatment? Respiratory medicine, 2008 Aug;102(8):1145-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18571913