Hyperbaric oxygen remedy
Hyperbaric oxygen remedy includes breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a well-established treatment for decompression sickness, a possible risk of scuba diving. Other conditions handled with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include severe infections, bubbles of air in your blood vessels, and wounds that will not heal as a result of diabetes or radiation injury.
In a hyperbaric oxygen remedy chamber, the air pressure is elevated two to a few occasions higher than regular air pressure. Under these conditions, your lungs can collect much more oxygen than can be potential breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure.
When your blood carries this additional oxygen all through your body, this helps struggle bacteria and stimulate the discharge of drugs called progress factors and stem cells, which promote healing.
Why it’s performed
Your body’s tissues want an adequate supply of oxygen to function. When tissue is injured, it requires even more oxygen to survive. Hyperbaric oxygen remedy increases the quantity of oxygen your blood can carry. With repeated scheduled therapies, the short-term extra high oxygen levels encourage regular tissue oxygen levels, even after the remedy is completed.
Hyperbaric oxygen remedy is used to deal with a number of medical conditions. And medical institutions use it in several ways. Your doctor may counsel hyperbaric oxygen remedy when you’ve got one of many 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
Infection of skin or bone that causes tissue dying
Nonhealing wounds, akin to a diabetic foot ulcer
Radiation injury
Skin graft or skin flap at risk of tissue death
Traumatic brain injury
Vision loss, sudden and painless
Risks
Hyperbaric oxygen remedy is generally a safe procedure. Issues are rare. However this treatment does carry some risk.
Potential risks embrace:
Center ear accidents, together with leaking fluid and eardrum rupture, as a result of modifications in air pressure
Short-term nearsightedness (myopia) caused by short-term eye lens adjustments
Lung collapse caused by air pressure modifications (barotrauma)
Seizures because of too much oxygen (oxygen toxicity) in your central nervous system
Lowered blood sugar in individuals who have diabetes treated with insulin
In sure circumstances, fire — due to the oxygen-rich surroundings of the therapy chamber
How you prepare
You may be provided with a hospital-approved gown or scrubs to wear rather than common clothing throughout the procedure.
For your safety, items corresponding to lighters or battery-powered gadgets that generate heat aren’t allowed into the hyperbaric chamber. In addition, you could have to remove hair and skin care products which might be petroleum based, as they’re a potential fire hazard. Your health care team 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 however can be provided while you are hospitalized.
Typically, 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 a number of people. In a multiperson hyperbaric oxygen room — which usually looks like a large hospital room — chances are you’ll sit or lie down. Chances are you’ll receive oxygen by a mask over your face or a lightweight, clear hood positioned over your head.
Whether or not you are in a person or multiperson setting for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the benefits are the same.
During therapy, the air pressure within the room is about two to three times the traditional air pressure. The increased air pressure will create a brief feeling of fullness in your ears — similar to what you may really feel in an airplane or at a high elevation. You may relieve that feeling by yawning or swallowing.
For many conditions, hyperbaric oxygen remedy lasts approximately hours. Members of your health care team will monitotherwise you and the remedy unit throughout your treatment.
After hyperbaric oxygen remedy
Your therapy workforce 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. As soon as the crew decides you are ready, you can get dressed and leave.
You may really feel somewhat tired or hungry following your treatment. This does not limit normal activities.
Outcomes
To benefit from hyperbaric oxygen remedy, you will likely want more than one session. The number of periods depends upon your medical condition. Some conditions, reminiscent of carbon monoxide poisoning, might be handled in three visits. Others, such as nonhealing wounds, could require 40 treatments or more.
