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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy uses a special pressure chamber to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood.
Information
Some hospitals have a hyperbaric chamber. Smaller units may be available in outpatient centers.
The air pressure inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber is about two and a half times higher than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This helps your blood carry more oxygen to organs and tissues in your body.
Hyperbaric therapy can help wounds, especially infected wounds, heal more quickly. The therapy may be used to treat:
-
Air or gas
embolism
Embolism
Blood clots are clumps that occur when blood hardens from a liquid to a solid. A blood clot that forms inside one of your veins or arteries is calle...
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Bone infections (
osteomyelitis
) that have not improved with other treatments
Osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis is a bone infection. It is mainly caused by bacteria or other germs.
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Burns
Burns
Burns commonly occur by direct or indirect contact with heat, electric current, radiation, or chemical agents. Burns can lead to cell death....
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Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that causes thousands of deaths each year in North America. Breathing in carbon monoxide is very dangerous. It i...
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- Decompression sickness (for example, a diving injury)
-
Gas gangrene
Gas gangrene
Gas gangrene is a potentially deadly form of tissue death (gangrene).
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Necrotizing soft tissue infections
Necrotizing soft tissue infections
Necrotizing soft tissue infection is a rare but very severe type of bacterial infection. It can destroy the muscles, skin, and underlying tissue. T...
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Radiation injury (for example, damage from
radiation therapy
for cancer)
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-powered x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.
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Skin grafts
Skin grafts
A skin graft is a patch of skin that is removed by surgery from one area of the body and transplanted, or attached, to another area.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Wounds that have not healed with other treatments (for example, it may be used to treat a foot ulcer in someone with diabetes or very bad circulation)
This treatment may also be used to provide enough oxygen to the lung during a procedure called whole lung lavage, which is used to clean an entire lung in people with certain medical conditions.
Treatment for chronic conditions may be repeated over days or weeks. A treatment session for more acute conditions such as decompression sickness may last longer, but may not need to be repeated.
You might feel pressure in your ears while you are in the hyperbaric chamber. Your ears may pop when you get out of the chamber.
References
Carnay AY. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, an introduction. Crit Care Nurs Q . 2013;36(3):274-279. PMID: 23736666 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23736666 .
Torp KD, Feinglass NG, Shine TSJ. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In: Murray MJ, Harrison BA, Mueller JT, Rose SH, Wass CT, Wedel DJ, eds. Faust's Anesthesiology Review . 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 224.
Review Date: 8/22/2016
Reviewed By: Laura J. Martin, MD, MPH, ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
