Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy should not be confused with ‘Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (Mild HBOT), which is an ineffective low pressure low oxygen dose treatment for which there is no clinical evidence of effectiveness. This unsafe treatment is often offered by Wellness clinics and misrepresented as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
Scientifically supported hyperbaric treatments are usually delivered at pressures between 1.9 to 3.0 ATA conditions proven by peer-reviewed research and listed on the British Hyperbaric Association (BHA) and the US FDA websites:
• air and gas bubbles in blood vessels
• anemia (severe anemia when blood transfusions cannot be used)
• burns (severe and large burns treated at a specialized burn center)
• carbon monoxide poisoning
• crush injury
• decompression sickness (diving risk)
• gas gangrene
• hearing loss (complete hearing loss that occurs suddenly and without any known cause)
• infection of the skin and bone (severe)
• radiation injury
• skin graft flap at risk of tissue death
• vision loss (when sudden and painless in one eye due to blockage of blood flow)
• wounds (non-healing, diabetic foot ulcers)
Read more about these on the Conditions We Treat page.
The word ‘hyperbaric’ is derived from the Greek words ‘hyper’ (υπερ) for above normal and ‘baros’ (βάρος) for weight.
Commonly associated with divers, a Hyperbaric chamber is a pressure vessel used to treat a range of patients, including divers, suffering from various disorders such as decompression sickness, Air embolism, severe carbon monoxide poisoning and more.
Once sealed, an operator can control the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber. This means the pressure conditions a diver experiences at varying depths in the water can be simulated.
Hyperbaric chambers that provide a safe, comfortable environment for the treatment of a single patient.
Hyperbaric chambers that are used when there are multiple patients, or when practitioners need to be present.
Often these terms are used interchangeably. The names reflect the different purposes that the chambers are designed for, rather than their capability.
