Oxygen key to McRae's recovery

Colin McRae fractured his cheekbone during September's rally in Corsica, but made an impressive recovery possibly thanks to hyperbaric medicine, better known for it's use in deep sea diving to treat cases of the 'bends'.

This condition is caused when divers rise too quickly and potentially fatal bubbles of Nitrogen develop in the bloodstream. Breathing high pressure oxygen at high concentrations helps dissolve the Nitrogen bubbles back in to the bllod stream and may help flush them out.

Doctors have recently discovered that near 100% concentrations of oxygen may help to reduce tissue inflammation, reduce sidee effects and accelerate healing. Sufferers of broken facial bones often need facial implants and one study shows that hyperbaric therapy may boost recovery rates from 65% to over 90%. The therapy has also been used in cases of burns, open wounds, frostbite and diabetic ulcers.

Even so, doctors are keen to point out the dangers of hyperbaric therapy due to the extreme flammability of high pressure pure oxygen and the fact that in can be poisonous in high doses.

Friday, 10 November 2000