What Researchers Did
Researchers described the case of a young man who suffered a severe brain injury after inhaling helium from an unregulated pressurized tank.
What They Found
The patient, who was initially blind, experienced complete recovery of his vision. Brain scans also showed significant improvement after he received 4 hyperbaric oxygen treatments and a 54-hour lidocaine infusion, which started 6 hours after the incident.
Canadian Relevance
This study covers arterial gas embolism, which is a Health Canada-recognised indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Study Limitations
As a case report, this study describes only one patient, so its findings may not apply to everyone.