Research & Guidance

N. Epifanova, M. Romaseno, A. Koukchina, I. Epifanov.
Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine, Dept. Psychosomatic Disorders, Moscow
J Eur Coll Neuropharmacol 1999.

Summary:
Opium addiction is associated with homeostasis impairments, toxic encephalopathy, somatic pathology and often leads to fatal outcomes due to drug abuse. Common causes of death are respiratory arrest in opiate abuse, toxic encephalopathy and multiple organ failure secondary to acute hypoxia and metabolic disorders. Our experimental study of toxic brain edema on the rabbit model by using light microscopy have found that hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) activates the rhybonucleoproteid syntesis in the neurons, intensifies proliferative glial reactions, and thus, improves the cerebral metabolism. In this connection, the goal of this study was to identify the efficacy of HBO in the complex treatment of drug poisoning.

The obtained data demonstrate the pathogenic impact of the impairments in LP and AOS processes in the patients with exogenous intoxication and give evidence that HBO with the chosenmode produces a normalizing effect on LP-AOS system. HBO treatment allowed to prevent developing persistent neuropsychologic disturbances and decreased the incidence of delayed neuropsychological sequelae. The use of HBO posing detoxication, antihypoide and metabolic effects in the complex treatment of opium intoxication is justified from the point of pathogenesis and allows to improve the outcomes. Thus, HBO may be used as a method of metabolic brain protection.

Click here to view the abstract.