Hyperbaric oxygen remedy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a well-established therapy for decompression sickness, a possible risk of scuba diving. Other conditions handled with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include critical infections, bubbles of air in your blood vessels, and wounds that won’t heal on account of diabetes or radiation injury.
In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is increased to a few instances higher than normal air pressure. Under these conditions, your lungs can collect a lot more oxygen than can be doable breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure.
When your blood carries this additional oxygen all through your body, this helps combat micro organism and stimulate the release of substances called progress factors and stem cells, which promote healing.
Why it’s accomplished
Your body’s tissues need an adequate supply of oxygen to function. When tissue is injured, it requires even more oxygen to survive. Hyperbaric oxygen remedy will increase the quantity of oxygen your blood can carry. With repeated scheduled therapies, the momentary further high oxygen levels encourage regular tissue oxygen levels, even after the remedy is completed.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to deal with several medical conditions. And medical institutions use it in numerous ways. Your doctor may counsel hyperbaric oxygen therapy when you have one of many following conditions:
Extreme 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, comparable to a diabetic foot ulcer
Radiation injury
Skin graft or skin flap at risk of tissue demise
Traumatic brain injury
Vision loss, sudden and painless
Risks
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is mostly a safe procedure. Complications are rare. However this treatment does carry some risk.
Potential risks embrace:
Middle ear injuries, including leaking fluid and eardrum rupture, as a result of adjustments in air pressure
Non permanent nearsightedness (myopia) caused by short-term eye lens changes
Lung collapse caused by air pressure modifications (barotrauma)
Seizures as a result of too much oxygen (oxygen toxicity) in your central nervous system
Lowered blood sugar in people who have diabetes treated with insulin
In sure circumstances, fire — because of the oxygen-rich surroundings of the treatment chamber
The way you put together
You may be provided with a hospital-approved gown or scrubs to wear rather than regular clothing throughout the procedure.
In your safety, items such as lighters or battery-powered gadgets that generate heat will not be allowed into the hyperbaric chamber. In addition, you could have to remove hair and skin care products which might be petroleum primarily based, as they are a possible fire hazard. Your health care workforce will provide instruction on making 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.
Normally, there are two types of hyperbaric oxygen chambers:
A unit designed for 1 person. In an individual (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 often looks like a large hospital room — you could sit or lie down. You might obtain oxygen via a mask over your face or a lightweight, clear hood positioned over your head.
Whether or not you are in an individual or multiperson surroundings for hyperbaric oxygen remedy, the benefits are the same.
During therapy, the air pressure within the room is about to a few occasions the normal air pressure. The elevated air pressure will create a brief feeling of fullness in your ears — just like what you may feel in an airplane or at a high elevation. You can relieve that feeling by yawning or swallowing.
For many conditions, hyperbaric oxygen therapy lasts approximately hours. Members of your health care crew will monitor you and the therapy unit all through your treatment.
After hyperbaric oxygen remedy
Your therapy crew assesses you together with looking in your ears and taking your blood pressure and pulse. If in case you have diabetes, your blood glucose is checked. Once the crew decides you might be ready, you will get dressed and leave.
You could feel somewhat tired or hungry following your treatment. This doesn’t limit regular activities.
Results
To benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you will likely need more than one session. The number of periods relies upon your medical condition. Some conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, is likely to be treated in three visits. Others, corresponding to nonhealing wounds, may require forty therapies or more.