How Acts the Administration of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide against Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ?

Abstract

A review of the studies on the blood alkalinity occourring by the carbon monoxide poisoning and like conditions is given as an introductory, because the findings, in fact the former findings, of the pioneer of the carbon dioxide therapy in respect to the blood alkalinity have very close relation to the recommendation of that therapy. The present writer himself, who conducted inhalation of carbon monoxide on rabbits, is able to find also definitely the beneficial effect of mixing carbon dioxide to oxygen for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning, clearly superior to the pure oxygen. Carbon monoxide is more rapidly eliminated, the oxygen content of blood is more rapidly restored and the carbon dioxide content of blood more rapidly still. The pH of blood, which shows usually the acidosis, inclines to shift further. And all the tendencies increase according to the increase of the content of carbon dioxide in the inhalational mixture. With these results we do not mean, contrary to critics, that the alkali administration should act detrimentally against the carbon monoxide poisoning and like conditions. Kamei's work demonstrates it beyond doubt. One must take care, there is little need to say, of its dosage. Further it may be said in passing that we will not take the present outcome as unconditionally proving a view of some critic that intensification of acidosis is never harmful to the organism though it is wholly settled that the use of carbon dioxide-oxygen mixture largely accelerates the expulsion of CO from blood, the restoration of the O2, and CO2, content of blood.