Patent ID: 7263993

Claim:
A process for treating reversible blood vessel occlusions in a human being who has suffered an ischemic cerebrovascular accident (stroke) by reversing the trapping of nitrogen by hypoxic mitochondria that causes an impairment in oxidative metabolism in said mitochondria of stroke-affected tissues, which comprises administering through a face mask the inhalation of a nitrogen free gas mixture of oxygen and helium, each at a 20-80% complementary concentrations with exhalations being shunted through a one-way flutter valve into the ambient atmosphere thereby effecting a nitrogen washout from the body of about 18 ml per minute resulting in a 50-90% washout of nitrogen from the body and body water within 30-90 minutes and with slightly longer times for near-total washout, said washout continuing until and beyond the time that blood flow is restored to the stroke-affected compromised tissues to permit a secondary reverse-gradient washout of nitrogen from said tissues and said hypoxic mitochondria thereby allowing the mitochondria of said tissues to re-access oxygen and return to a state of oxidative metabolism.