Auditory and vestibular function in hyperbaric oxygen.

The therapeutic value of high partial pressures of oxygen is limited by the toxicity of oxygen. Pulmonary damage, visual impairment, and convulsions are known hazards during hyperoxic exposure, but dose-effect relationships have not been quantified for specific organs or functions. As part of an integrated study of organ oxygen tolerance in man (Predictive Study V of the Institute for Environmental Medicine), auditory and vestibular function was evaluated in man before, during, and after exposure to 100% oxygen at 3 atmospheres absolute pressure for 2 to 3.5 hours. No alterations in hearing or equilibrium were detected, suggesting that ototoxicity is not a factor that would limit exposure under these conditions.