[Treatment of acute lung abscess using hyperbaric oxygenation].

The results of examination and treatment of 322 patients with acute pulmonary abscesses are analysed. The abscess was associated with pyothorax in 44.9% and with gangrene of the lung in 5.9% of cases. Two groups of patients identical in severity of their condition were studied to reveal the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygenation in the complex treatment of this category of patients. In one group (152 patients) only the generally accepted treatment was applied, in the other group (156 patients) this treatment was combined with a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The developed method makes it possible to avoid hyperbaric injury to a lung containing closed air cavities. The method is based on reliable drainage of the abscess during the session. Comparison of the results of various methods of examination, including the data on hemodynamics, the function of the liver, and other, as well as the analysis of the clinical results of treatment showed the obvious efficacy of hyperbaric oxygenation in the complex management of patients with acute pulmonary abscesses.