What Researchers Did
Doctors reported the two-year recovery of a young man who was accidentally exposed to argon gas at work and lost consciousness.
What They Found
This case report describes a 22 year old male worker who developed hypoxic brain injury and persistent memory problems after argon gas poisoning. He was treated with nasal oxygen, daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy at 1.5 ATA for 60 minutes, methylcobalamin, and intravenous vitamin C. At a 2 year follow up by telephone, he still had short term memory problems, especially with remembering numbers. On a memory test he scored a digit span forward of 5 and a digit span backward of 2, which the report states indicates impairment, though his daily life and work were largely unaffected.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This is a single patient case report with treatments given together, so it cannot show whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy specifically caused any of the observed outcomes.