carbon dioxide slush


carbon dioxide

 an odorless, colorless gas, CO2, resulting from oxidation of carbon, formed in the tissues and eliminated by the lungs; used in some pump oxygenators to maintain the carbon dioxide tension in the blood. It is also used in solid form; see carbon dioxide snow and carbon dioxide slush.carbon dioxide combining power the ability of blood plasma to combine with carbon dioxide; indicative of the alkali reserve and a measure of the acid-base balance of the blood.carbon dioxide content the amount of carbonic acid and bicarbonate in the blood; reported in millimoles per liter.carbon dioxide–oxygen therapy administration of a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen (commonly 5 per cent CO2 and 95 per cent O2 or 10 per cent CO2 and 90 per cent O2); used for improvement of cerebral blood flow, stimulation of deep breathing, or treatment of singultation (hiccupping). Carbon dioxide acts by stimulating the respiratory center; it also increases heart rate and blood pressure. Therapy is given for 6 minutes or less with a 5 per cent mixture and 2 minutes or less with a 10 per cent mixture. Potential adverse effects include headache, dizziness, dyspnea, nausea, tachycardia and high blood pressure, blurred vision, mental depression, coma, and convulsions.carbon dioxide slush solid carbon dioxide combined with a solvent such as acetone, and sometimes also alcohol; used as an escharotic to treat skin lesions such as warts and moles and as a peeling agent in chemabrasion.carbon dioxide snow the solid formed by rapid evaporation of liquid carbon dioxide, giving a temperature of about −79°C (−110°F). It has been used in cryotherapy to freeze the skin, thus producing local anesthesia and arrest of blood flow. See also carbon dioxide slush.