Mechanism
Gas Volume Reduction
Gas volume reduction follows Boyle's Law: as pressure rises, the volume of any gas bubble falls. In a hyperbaric chamber this physically shrinks bubbles in the blood and tissues — the primary mechanism behind HBOT's role as definitive treatment for decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism.
Detailed mechanism
At 2.8 ATA, gas bubble volume is reduced by approximately 64% compared to atmospheric pressure. This physical compression, combined with nitrogen washout through breathing 100% oxygen, eliminates intravascular and intratissue gas bubbles.
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