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Argon Gas Side-Effects

Argon is a naturally occurring gas and makes up 0.94 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere--it also makes up 1.6 percent of the atmosphere on Mars. As a colorless and odorless gas, it is inert and is not known to form any true chemical compounds with other elements. It has many uses and applications, including in light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, as an inert gas shield for arc welding, as a blanket in the production of titanium and in different scenarios in the medical field.

  1. Gas Embolism

    • In a study appearing in the February 1999 issue of the German medical journal "Der Chirurg" ("The Surgeon"), researchers concluded after inserting argon into laboratory test animals intravenously, that any gas with a low solubility in blood--such as argon--should not be used in any procedure where there is an increased risk of gas embolism. Two test animals died of cardiac shock and a third was able to be resuscitated. The test group of animals that received carbon dioxide of similar amounts at the argon did not suffer embolisms and were unharmed. The effect of adding argon into the blood resulted in increased pulmonary arterial pressure and reduced cardiac output.

    Argon Plasma Coagulator

    • The Argon Plasma Coagulator (APC) is a device used in endoscopy for non-contact thermal coagulation of tissue. According to an article appearing in the September/October 2006 issue of "Gastroenterology Nursing," the APC probe is used during endoscopic procedures and is designed to function through the working end of a flexible endoscope. During the procedure, lower power settings and lower argon gas flow are used in the stoppage of bleeding in vascular lesions (abnormal blood vessels located directly under the skin surface). The APC has been used with success in the treatment of rectal bleeding, but short-term side effects such as rectal pain, tenesmus (feeling of incomplete defecation) or abdominal distention occurred in 14 percent of patients. Additionally, the long-term side effects of rectal pain, tenesmus and diarrhea was reported in 19 percent of patients in spite of the success of the treatment with the APC.

    Cryotherapy

    • Cryotherapy is the process of applying either liquid nitrogen or argon gas to freeze and destroy diseased tissue, including cancer cells, found internally or externally. To treat tissue internally, the physician will use a cryoprobe with the help of image guidance (ultrasound, magnetic resonance). The cryoprobe is connected to a source of argon gas, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for such applications. The most common side effects associated with surgical cryotherapy are bleeding, possible damage to organs located near the target, infection, nerve damage and accumulation of fluid in the space around the lungs. Success rates for treatment of cancerous tissue with cryotherapy are similar to surgery or radiation therapy.

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