What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treats chronic wounds and other medical conditions. Room air contains 21% oxygen, while hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides you with air that contains 100% oxygen. A pressurized chamber delivers oxygen that’s two to three times higher than normal air pressure, which helps your lungs gather and absorb more oxygen. Oxygen helps the tissues in your body heal and withstand infections.

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Healthcare providers use hyperbaric oxygen therapy alone or with other medical treatments, such as medications or surgery. Most people receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy on an outpatient basis for one to two hours each session. Depending on the type of treatment, you may sit or lie down during the procedure.

Other names for hyperbaric oxygen therapy include HBO therapy or HBOT.

For what is hyperbaric oxygen therapy used?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help treat the following:

• Air or gas bubbles in your blood vessels (air or gas embolism).
• The bends (decompression sickness).
• Burns.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Gangrene caused by the bacteria Clostridium (gas gangrene).
• Hearing loss.
• Injuries that cut or break your skin (wounds).
• Loss of vision.
• Radiation injuries.
• Severe anemia.
• Severe bone and skin infections.
• Skin grafts.
• Trauma from force or pressure on a body part (crush injury).

Are there unapproved uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Yes, there are unapproved uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Medical spas or alternative medicine centers may claim that hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps treat many conditions, including the following:

• Age-related symptoms or conditions (anti-aging).
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Cerebral palsy.
• COVID-19.
• Depression.
• Hair loss (alopecia).
• HIV and AIDS.
• Migraine headaches.
• Sports injuries.
• Strokes.

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However, there currently isn’t enough research and testing to conclude that hyperbaric oxygen therapy safely and effectively treats these conditions. You should only receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy for an approved condition from an experienced healthcare provider in an accredited medical facility. Ask your healthcare provider if they have certification through the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.

Is hyperbaric oxygen healthy?

Yes, hyperbaric oxygen is healthy. It’s pure oxygen, which helps your immune system fight bacteria and generate stem cells. Stem cells are special cells in your body that help create other types of important cells, including blood cells, brain cells and muscle cells.

Why is hyperbaric oxygen therapy used?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps your body heal. To work properly, the tissues in your body must have enough oxygen. If your tissues are injured, they need even more oxygen. The increased pressure in hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps your blood carry oxygen through your body, especially injured tissues. It also helps your white blood cells protect your body from infection.

How often should you do hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions usually last between one and two hours. Your healthcare provider may schedule sessions once a week or five days a week for up to 30 or more total sessions.

Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy safe for everyone?

No, some people shouldn’t receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It may be dangerous to receive it if you have:

• A collapsed lung (pneumothorax).
• A lung disease that may increase your risk of getting a collapsed lung, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and emphysema.
• A fever or cold.
• Recently injured your ear.
• Recently had ear surgery.

What happens before hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Before receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy, your healthcare provider will assess many factors, including the condition for which you’re receiving treatment, your age and your overall health. These assessments will help them determine how long your therapy should last and how many sessions you need. Be sure to discuss your medications and medical implant devices with your healthcare provider. Some medical implant devices, including pacemakers made in the s, may malfunction after exposure to a hyperbaric environment. Your healthcare provider will also review any potential side effects with you.

Additionally, discuss any skin care products that you use. Pure oxygen can make certain items, including skin care products, ignite at lower temperatures.

You’ll change into a hospital gown and remove any metal objects or electronic devices outside the hyperbaric chamber. These items could create sparks, which could cause a fire in the high-oxygen environment. You can only bring in a small bottle of water.

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Because the hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions usually last between one and two hours, it’s a good idea to use the restroom right before entering the chamber.

What happens during hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

During the procedure, you sit or lie in a special chamber. Some hyperbaric chambers treat only one person (monoplace chamber). In a monoplace chamber, you’ll lie on a table that slides into the hyperbaric chamber, where you’ll continue lying while receiving treatment.

Your healthcare facility may have a hyperbaric chamber designed for use by multiple people at once (multiplace chamber). In a multiplace chamber, you’ll receive your oxygen treatment through a specialized mask. In some facilities, you’ll wear a lightweight, see-through oxygen hood.

Once the door to the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber has closed, you might hear a slight hissing sound as oxygen fills the chamber and the pressure inside slowly grows. Your ears may feel clogged (barotrauma) or start to pop, similar to flying in an airplane or traveling through mountains. You can relieve this pressure in your ears by yawning or taking a sip of water, holding your nose and swallowing the water. You’ll breathe normally throughout the therapy.

If you’re in a monoplace chamber, you may pass the time by watching television or a movie, sleeping or listening to music, a podcast or an audiobook.

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If you’re in a multiplace chamber, you may also play card games or read a book or magazine.

A healthcare provider will be in the room throughout the procedure to answer any questions and monitor your condition and overall health. They may have you take short breaks during the treatment to breathe normal air.

What happens after hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Toward the end of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, your healthcare provider will gradually decrease the pressure inside your chamber so your body can adjust to the pressure outside of the chamber.

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Your healthcare provider will remove you from the chamber or help you remove your mask or hood. Then, they’ll examine some of your vital signs, including your blood pressure and pulse, and check your ears. If you have diabetes, they’ll test your blood sugar (glucose).

Once your healthcare provider determines that you no longer need monitoring, you can change back into your clothes and leave.

You may feel sleepy after hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It isn’t necessary to have a family member or friend drive you home, but it might be a good idea.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves breathing almost pure oxygen in a special room or small chamber.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) uses a pressurized chamber in which a person is exposed to pure oxygen concentrations at a pressure two-to-three times greater than outside air.

The body’s tissues need oxygen to function, and additional oxygen can help damaged tissue heal. Oxygen at high pressure can enhance tissue function and fight infection under certain conditions. Breathing almost pure oxygen at this pressure can increase the concentration of oxygen available to the lungs by up to three times.

There are a number of specific instances in which HBOT may be beneficial to a person’s health or recovery. This article covers the indicated uses of HBOT.

The increase in oxygen concentration and atmospheric pressure in HBOT may be beneficial in several different instances. The Food and Drug Administration approves HBOT for the treatment of:

• air and gas bubbles in the blood
• decompression illness
• anemia when blood transfusions are not possible
• severe infections of the skin or bones
• severe and large burns
• carbon monoxide poisoning
• acute traumatic ischemia, which may involve a crush injury, for example
• gas gangrene
• complete, sudden hearing loss without known cause
• skin grafts at risk of tissue death
• non-healing wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers
• vision loss, sudden and painless in one eye when due to blockage of blood flow

Unapproved uses

A growing number of providers have started offering HBOT as an alternative therapy and claim that it can help with a wide range of conditions.

HBOT chambers are appearing in various facilities, from hospital outpatient departments to spas. There are even chambers for home use. However, the FDA does not approve HBOT for uses other than those listed above.

The FDA point out that they have not approved HBOT as a treatment for the following:

A person should only receive HBOT for the approved purposes. Using HBOT for unapproved purposes may worsen the existing ailment.

The body’s tissues need oxygen to function, and additional oxygen can help damaged tissue heal. Oxygen at high pressure can enhance tissue function and fight infection under certain conditions.

The ambient pressure inside the chamber is three times higher than the air pressure that people normally breathe. Breathing almost pure oxygen at this pressure can increase the concentration of oxygen available to the lungs by up to three times.

HBOT is usually an outpatient procedure. Doctors will recommend a frequency of HBOT use depending on a person’s specific health and condition. For example, some cases of monoxide poisoning may only require one therapy session, while the treatment of non-healing wounds may require upward of 20 sessions.

However, in severe cases of burns, infections, vision loss, and other conditions, treatment will occur in a hospital setting.

An HBOT session typically involves:

• sitting or lying in a sealed chamber, either alone or with other people, in which case the chamber will be room-sized
• receiving pressurized oxygen, which may arrive through a mask or a hood
• talking with a therapist or technician during the session, if desired
• possibly listening to music or watching TV to encourage relaxation

In a chamber for one, the person usually lies on a table that slides into a clear plastic tube. The length of the session will depend on the reason for the treatment.

Inappropriate use of HBOT can lead to a number of adverse effects, as it involves oxygen at a high atmospheric pressure.

Adverse effects

Possible adverse effects include pain and damage to the:

• ears
• sinuses
• eyes, including vision changes and cataracts
• teeth
• lungs

Some people also experience:

• anxiety
• claustrophobia
• increases in blood pressure
• hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar
• pulmonary edema, which involves excess fluid in the lungs
• collapsed lung
• vision changes

In rare cases, oxygen toxicity, or poisoning, can occur. Too much oxygen in the body’s tissues can cause convulsions and other complications. People should not undergo HBOT if they have recently had a cold or fever, or ear trauma. People with a history of tinnitus, middle ear infections, pressure intolerance, or ear surgery may be at risk of ear damage.

Anyone considering HBOT should contact their doctor for advice before undergoing treatment. Seek treatment in an approved facility with trained staff who provide HBOT under FDA-approved conditions.

Unsafe facilities

HBOT chambers that do not comply with FDA approval may be unsafe or unfit for medical use.

Some providers offer the use of “soft” or “mild” chambers.

• They are unlikely to sustain the necessary pressure or guarantee the purity of the oxygen, resulting in ineffective treatment.
• A power disruption could cause the chamber to deflate, leading to suffocation.
• There is a risk of explosion and fire, as pure oxygen is highly explosive and flammable.

HBOT can assist in decompression illness, and it can help treat carbon monoxide poisoning and other conditions. The FDA currently approves only 13 uses for HBOT, but some people claim that it can have additional benefits.

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