Hi Ellen
Re:
".... I was instructed to irrigate my breast wound with hydrogen peroxide
and warm
water twice a day...."

Ellen this brings back memories of irrigating sinuses etc with peroxide on
an orthopaedic ward in my previous life! (20+years ago LOL ) It always
cleaned wounds beautifully. Those bikies with their pilonidal
sinuses.............!

However we are not allowed to use it now because of the risk of air embolism

try a google search for "hydrogen peroxide air embolism"
see:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12066743&dopt=Abstract

Br J Anaesth. 2002 Apr;88(4):597-9.
Oxygen embolism after hydrogen peroxide irrigation of a vulvar abscess.
Haller G, Faltin-Traub E, Faltin D, Kern C.
Department APSIC, University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.

We report a case of venous oxygen embolism in a 33-yr-old healthy woman
after irrigation of a vulvar abscess with 25 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Venous oxygen embolism was diagnosed by the development of sudden hypoxia
associated with a decrease in end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration from
5.3 kPa to 3.2 kPa, and a 'mill-wheel' sound on cardiac auscultation soon
after injection of the solution. The patient responded to corrective
treatment including the Trendelenburg position and 100% oxygen. She made an
uneventful recovery. We discuss the possible causative mechanism of this
embolism, the different diagnostic methods, and the controversial aspects of
available treatments. We emphasize that hydrogen peroxide is a dangerous and
unsuitable agent for routine wound irrigation and debridement.

sorry to bring you this news ;-)
Warmly yours
Karen Clements RN RM IBCLC
Melb Aust

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