In alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), pathophysiological mechanisms cover
acid-base disturbances that affect the clinical picture of this state. An earlier study found that
oxygen therapy methods in combination with
pharmacotherapy improved the cognitive state in persons suffering from AWS. As impairments in the
acid-base state influence the general health, timely and effective correction of these
acid-base disturbances could result in a potential improvement in the treatment of the alcohol
withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of non-compressed
oxygen therapy (NOT) and
hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) in combination with standard
drug therapy (SDT), based on the dynamics of the
acid-base state (ABS) in blood during AWS. HBO is the use of
oxygen under pressure, whereas NOT uses
oxygen without pressure. A comparative assessment of the
acid-base state
biomarkers was made in 160 patients with a moderate alcohol withdrawal state (3 groups), namely, in patients who underwent SDT only (control group/CG; n = 42) and two comparison groups who underwent SDT in combination with NOT (SG1 group; n = 56) and HBO (SG2 group; n = 62). The use of both
oxygen therapy methods (i.e., NOT and HBO) in combination with SDT corrected the ABS in a shorter time and more effectively, which was due to the better restoration of the
carbonate buffer system. Although we did not find proof that novel
oxygen-related therapeutic procedures such as NOT and HBO in combination with SDT improved the alcohol
withdrawal symptoms, it helped with the faster restoration of the
acid-base state.