What exactly does hyperbaric oxygen therapy do?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treats wounds and other medical conditions by supplying you with 100% oxygen inside a special chamber. It heals damaged tissue by helping your body grow new skin, blood vessels and connective tissues. Side effects may include ear injuries, claustrophobia and sinus congestion and pressure. Oxygen is a medication that requires a prescription from a healthcare provider. You should only use oxygen therapy as a medical treatment. If you take in more oxygen than your body needs, it can slow your breathing and heart rate to dangerous levels. Too much oxygen can lead to oxygen toxicity or oxygen poisoning.Home oxygen therapy can help people who don’t have enough oxygen in their blood. Breathing air with a higher concentration of oxygen than normal can increase the amount of oxygen in your blood. This makes it easier to carry out activities and may reduce your symptoms.What happens if you use oxygen therapy and don’t need it? Oxygen is a medication that requires a prescription from a healthcare provider. You should only use oxygen therapy as a medical treatment. If you take in more oxygen than your body needs, it can slow your breathing and heart rate to dangerous levels.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not safe for everyone. In general, you shouldn’t get HBOT if you: Have certain types of lung diseases because of an increased risk for a collapsed lung.What are the risks of using oxygen therapy? Oxygen therapy is generally safe, but it can cause side effects. They include a dry or bloody nose, tiredness, and morning headaches. Oxygen poses a fire risk, so you should never smoke or use flammable materials when using oxygen.
What disease is treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
Conditions that are responsive to hyperbaric oxygen therapy include: Gas/air embolism and decompression illness. Carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. Clostridial and nonclostridial gas gangrene, including necrotizing infections. Conditions we treat with hyperbaric medicine Our expert team treats all conditions that may benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy, including: Acute traumatic blood loss, crushing injuries or thermal burns. Bone and skin infections. Carbon monoxide poisoning.Other conditions treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include serious tissue disease or wounds, trapped air bubbles in blood vessels, carbon monoxide poisoning, and tissue damage from radiation therapy.What Conditions Can HBOT Treat? Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is perhaps most associated with diving injuries and chronic wound healing, but it’s recognized as a safe and effective treatment for more than a dozen acute and chronic conditions*, from diabetic foot ulcers to radiation injury.Hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy sessions last a little over two hours and are generally scheduled once a day, five days a week. Your doctor may prescribe 30 or more treatments before the therapy is complete. How many treatments you have is often dependent on how quickly your condition improves.
Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy safe?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is generally a safe procedure. Most complications are mild and do not last. Serious complications are rare. The risk of complications increases with longer and repeated therapies. Signs of oxygen poisoning include: Chest pain. Difficulty breathing. Dizziness.Additional potential complications include claustrophobia or anxiety related to confinement in hyperbaric chambers. Patients with oxygen toxicity may present with pulmonary symptoms such as cough or dyspnea, neurologic manifestations including seizures, or ophthalmologic effects, including myopia.The alternative, normobaric oxygen therapy (NBOT), utilizes oxygen at 1 atm of pressure. In comparison with HBOT, NBOT is cheaper and easier to apply, and it could be found in almost all hospitals, as it does not require hyperbaric chambers [32].Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is approved by the FDA to treat a wide variety of illnesses and injuries, including hard-to-heal or chronic wounds. Some of the conditions that may be treated with HBOT include: Carbon monoxide poisoning. Crush injuries.
How many sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy are needed?
Generally, HBOT treatments are given daily, five days per week. The number of treatments needed can range from a few to 40 or more, depending on the condition and its severity. Some people may feel the effects of HBOT immediately, while others may not feel them for several days or weeks into their treatment plan. The doctor will develop a treatment plan for each patient based on their individual needs.Possible symptoms or side effects after HBOT can include fatigue and lightheadedness. More severe problems can include: Lung damage, including collapse of the lung. Fluid buildup or bursting (rupture) of the middle ear.The effects of HBOT can last for several weeks or months, and in some cases, they may be permanent. The duration of HBOT effects depends on a number of factors, including the following: The condition being treated. The number of HBOT treatments received.Possible symptoms or side effects after HBOT can include fatigue and lightheadedness. More severe problems can include: Lung damage, including collapse of the lung. Fluid buildup or bursting (rupture) of the middle ear.
Who should not use hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
For elective HBOT, primary care providers must evaluate medical conditions that could serve as relative contraindications, including claustrophobia, upper respiratory infections, diabetes, eustachian tube malformations, and chronic respiratory diseases. It shouldn’t be used by people who have had a recent ear surgery or injury, a cold or fever, or certain types of lung disease. The most common complication after HBOT is trauma to the middle ear. Other possible complications are eye damage, lung collapse, low blood sugar, and sinus problems.During the application of HBOT, a few adverse effects have been identified. For instance, middle ear barotrauma, sinus and paranasal sinus barotrauma, ocular side effects, hypoglycemia, oxygen-induced seizures, and claustrophobia are basically well-identified adverse effects (3).Adverse events may include middle ear barotrauma, sinus discomfort, pulmonary barotrauma, and oxygen toxicity. Additional potential complications include claustrophobia or anxiety related to confinement in hyperbaric chambers.Because of the increased pressure and increased concentration of the oxygen during HBOT, potential risks include: Ear and sinus pain. Middle ear injuries, including tympanic membrane rupture. Temporary vision changes.