Hyperbaric medicine, also identified as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), is the health-related use of oxygen at a level greater than atmospheric pressure. The air stress inside hyperbaric chambers is about two and a half occasions greater than the typical pressure in the atmosphere. Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers assists your blood carry additional oxygen to organs and tissues in your physique.

Numerous therapeutic principles are made use of in HBO therapy:

The enhanced general pressure is of therapeutic value when HBOT is made use of in the remedy of decompression sickness and air embolism
For quite a few other situations, the therapeutic principle of HBOT lies in its capacity to drastically improve partial stress of oxygen in the tissues of the physique.
The oxygen partial pressures achievable applying HBOT are a lot higher than those achievable whilst breathing pure oxygen at normobaric conditions (i.e. at typical atmospheric pressure)
A related effect is the enhanced oxygen transport capacity of the blood. Below atmospheric pressure, oxygen transport is limited by the oxygen binding capacity of hemoglobin in red blood cells and extremely tiny oxygen is transported by blood plasma. For the reason that the hemoglobin of the red blood cells is pretty much saturated with oxygen under atmospheric pressure, this route of transport cannot be exploited any further. Oxygen transport by plasma having said that is considerably improved working with HBOT as the stimulus.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy uses a special chamber, sometimes known as a hyperbaric chamber, to improve the quantity of oxygen in the blood.

Indications

Not long ago, HBO therapy was controversial and health policy with regards to its utilizes was politically charged. Both sides of the challenge of the effectiveness of HBOT for pathological and non-pathological use is out there in the kind of Cochrane Library testimonials. As of January, 2010, occasions have changed and HBOT is even becoming proposed to treat U.S. servicemen and ladies suffering with PTSD. HBOT, each in the hard chambers and the soft chambers, is now seeing widespread use all through the world for a quantity of acute and chronic circumstances.

In the United States, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, recognized as UHMS, lists approvals for reimbursement for specific diagnoses in hospitals and clinics. The following indications are authorized (for reimbursement) uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as defined by the UHMS Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Committee:

Air or gas embolism
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning complex by cyanide poisoning
Clostridal myositis and myonecrosis (gas gangrene)
Crush injury, compartment syndrome, and other acute traumatic ischemias
Decompression sickness
Enhancement of healing in chosen trouble wounds
Diabetically derived illness, such as diabetic foot, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy
Exceptional blood loss (anemia)
Intracranial abscess
Necrotizing soft tissue infections (necrotizing fasciitis)
Osteomyelitis (refractory)
Delayed radiation injury (soft tissue and bony necrosis)
Skin grafts and flaps (compromised)
Thermal burns.
Some, but not extremely lots of, hospitals have a hyperbaric chamber. Smaller sized units might be readily available in outpatient center.

Treatment options for chronic situations may perhaps be repeated over days or weeks. A treatment session for more acute situations such as decompression sickness may possibly be longer but not necessarily repeated.