Hyperbaric oxygen remedy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. Hyperbaric oxygen remedy is a well-established remedy for decompression sickness, a potential risk of scuba diving. Different conditions handled with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include critical infections, bubbles of air in your blood vessels, and wounds that may not heal as a result of diabetes or radiation injury.
In a hyperbaric oxygen remedy chamber, the air pressure is increased to a few occasions higher than normal air pressure. Under these conditions, your lungs can gather a lot more oxygen than would be doable breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure.
When your blood carries this further oxygen throughout your body, this helps struggle micro organism and stimulate the discharge of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.
Why it’s done
Your body’s tissues need an adequate provide of oxygen to function. When tissue is injured, it requires even more oxygen to survive. Hyperbaric oxygen remedy increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. With repeated scheduled therapies, the momentary further high oxygen levels encourage normal tissue oxygen levels, even after the remedy is completed.
Hyperbaric oxygen remedy is used to treat several medical conditions. And medical institutions use it in different ways. Your doctor could recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy when you’ve got one of the following conditions:
Severe anemia
Brain abscess
Bubbles of air in your blood vessels (arterial gas embolism)
Burns
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Crushing injury
Deafness, sudden
Decompression sickness
Gangrene
An infection of skin or bone that causes tissue death
Nonhealing wounds, equivalent to a diabetic foot ulcer
Radiation injury
Skin graft or skin flap at risk of tissue loss of life
Traumatic brain injury
Vision loss, sudden and painless
Risks
Hyperbaric oxygen remedy is usually a safe procedure. Issues are rare. However this therapy does carry some risk.
Potential risks embody:
Middle ear injuries, including leaking fluid and eardrum rupture, attributable to modifications in air pressure
Momentary nearsightedness (myopia) caused by temporary eye lens modifications
Lung collapse caused by air pressure changes (barotrauma)
Seizures as a result of an excessive amount of oxygen (oxygen toxicity) in your central nervous system
Lowered blood sugar in people who have diabetes handled with insulin
In sure circumstances, fire — due to the oxygen-rich setting of the remedy chamber
The way you put together
You will be provided with a hospital-approved gown or scrubs to wear in place of common clothing in the course of the procedure.
For your safety, items akin to lighters or battery-powered gadgets that generate heat aren’t allowed into the hyperbaric chamber. In addition, you may must remove hair and skin care products that are petroleum primarily based, as they are a potential fire hazard. Your health care crew will provide instruction on getting ready you to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
During hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen remedy typically is performed as an outpatient procedure but can also be provided while you’re hospitalized.
In general, there are types of hyperbaric oxygen chambers:
A unit designed for 1 person. In a person (monoplace) unit, you lie down on a table that slides into a clear plastic chamber.
A room designed to accommodate several people. In a multiperson hyperbaric oxygen room — which usually looks like a large hospital room — you may sit or lie down. You could receive oxygen via a mask over your face or a lightweight, clear hood placed over your head.
Whether or not you are in a person or multiperson atmosphere for hyperbaric oxygen remedy, the benefits are the same.
During therapy, the air pressure in the room is about to three times the normal air pressure. The elevated air pressure will create a brief feeling of fullness in your ears — much like what you might really feel in an airplane or at a high elevation. You possibly can relieve that feeling by yawning or swallowing.
For many conditions, hyperbaric oxygen remedy lasts approximately hours. Members of your health care workforce will monitotherwise you and the remedy unit throughout your treatment.
After hyperbaric oxygen remedy
Your remedy crew assesses you including looking in your ears and taking your blood pressure and pulse. If in case you have diabetes, your blood glucose is checked. Once the staff decides you might be ready, you may get dressed and leave.
Chances are you’ll really feel considerably tired or hungry following your treatment. This does not limit regular activities.
Results
To benefit from hyperbaric oxygen remedy, you’ll likely want more than one session. The number of classes depends upon your medical condition. Some conditions, resembling carbon monoxide poisoning, is likely to be treated in three visits. Others, reminiscent of nonhealing wounds, could require 40 remedies or more.