Posted by Dave W (12.10.85.65) on August 18, 1999 at 15:52:31:
In Reply to: Can someone please repost oxygen "poisoning" posted by Bill on August 18, 1999 at 15:00:28:
Bill,
The problem with pure oxygen is that it's an oxidizer (it "burns"), so the lung linings can be damaged by prolonged exposure. How much is too much?
The following was posted by DocGreg on 12/17/98. You can view the original in the archives, but this is copied from the heart of it:
The biggest concern is just not having people sleep with the oxygen on. High flow oxygen causes damage to the lungs...no doubt about it. But 10 minutes won't kill you. It really comes down to how often, and how long, the oxygen is used. I don't know if we have any definitive time frames to advise. People live for years on 2-3 l/min flow (people with advanced lung disease). People in the hospital are placed on high flow O2 10+ l/min for days and walk away okay, but there has been documentable damage to their lungs.
I would feel safe using high flow oxygen for less than a half an hour every day or so during a cluster. More than that...well, I can't say for sure. But I've said this before...almost any of these drugs are more benign than a gun...and untreated pain has driven more than a few people to use one...so if it works, and nothing else does, don't worry about it.
Good luck, and I'll be wishing PFD's for ya!
Dave