The danger of blindness after ophthalmic surgeryFebruary 26, 2008Ophthalmologists inject gas into the eye mainly during the surgical treatment of retinal hemorrhages or injuries. The purpose of the gas is to help press the detached retina to the wall of the eye. There is a risk of subsequent expansion of the gas bubble during airplane travel, at high altitudes, or under nitrous oxide anesthesia. This expansion can damage the retinal vessels, and the risk remains present for weeks after the surgical procedure. In order to avoid this problem, ophthalmologists must inform patients before any operation of this type about the possibly dramatic consequences of air travel, travel to high altitudes, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) anesthesia. If in doubt, the anesthesiologist should avoid nitrous oxide, in particular in unconscious patients. Three months after an intraocular gas injection there should be no risk for the eye deriving from the remaining gas bubble. Deutsches Aerzteblatt | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Nitrous Oxide News Articles Cow power could generate electricity for millions Converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate enough electricity to meet up to three per cent of North America's entire consumption needs and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), according to US research published today. Atmosphere threatened by pollutants entering ocean, prof says A large quantity of nitrogen compounds emitted into the atmosphere by humans through the burning of fossil fuels and the use of nitrogen fertilizers enters the oceans and may lead to the removal of some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. No laughing matter -- bacteria are releasing a serious greenhouse gas Unlike carbon dioxide and methane, laughing gas has been largely ignored by world leaders as a worrying greenhouse gas. But nitrous oxide must be taken more seriously. Large source of nitrate, a potential water contaminant, found in near-surface desert soils A UC Riverside-led study in the Mojave Desert, Calif., has found that soils under "desert pavement" have an unusually high concentration of nitrate, a type of salt, close to the surface. Vulnerable to erosion by rain and wind if the desert pavement is disrupted, this vast source of nitrate could contaminate surface and groundwaters, posing an environmental risk. Compost can turn agricultural soils into a carbon sink, thus protecting against climate change Applying organic fertilizers, such as those resulting from composting, to agricultural land could increase the amount of carbon stored in these soils and contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Laser light may be able to detect diseases on the breath A team of scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado (CU) at Boulder, has shown that by sampling a person's breath with laser light they can detect molecules in the breath that may be markers for diseases like asthma or cancer. Nitrous oxide: definitely no laughing matter Farmers, food suppliers, policy-makers, business leaders and environmentalists are joining forces to confront the threat of the 'forgotten greenhouse gas' by taking part in an influential new forum at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Scientists using laser light to detect potential diseases via breath samples, says new study By blasting a person's breath with laser light, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder have shown that they can detect molecules that may be markers for diseases like asthma or cancer. Nitrous oxide from ocean microbes A large amount of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide is produced by bacteria in the oxygen poor parts of the ocean using nitrites, Dr Mark Trimmer told journalists at a Science Media Centre press briefing today. Increase in atmospheric moisture tied to human activities Observations and climate model results confirm that human-induced warming of the planet is having a pronounced effect on the atmosphere's total moisture content. More Nitrous Oxide News Articles |
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