Treatment in dogs showed that oxygen in the solution dissolved in plasma, which was the only part of the blood able to travel through blocked capillaries in damaged or inflamed tissues. As the oxygen reached damaged tissue, it reduced swelling, which, in turn, allowed red blood cells to flow freely. What began as a theoretical laboratory project is now directly improving heart function for patients throughout metro Detroit. Aqueous oxygen appears to be a cheaper, safer and more efficient way of delivering oxygen to damaged tissue than other methods of oxygen delivery, such as hyperbaric chambers. Hyperbaric chambers have drawbacks, Dr. Spears said, because they can't be decompressed quickly and there is no good way to control how much oxygen is delivered to a specific region of the body.
Vessels constrict inside the chamber and an overdose of oxygen can damage the lungs.
Aqueous oxygen, on the other hand, is infused directly into the bloodstream at precise levels through specially designed guidewires and catheters. The lungs aren't even exposed to potentially dangerously high levels of oxygen. However, the question does remain as to how long is the optimum amount of time to expose a patient's tissues to the solution, Dr. Spears said. We still don't know. Dr. Spears asked.