Q: What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
A: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a non-invasive procedure in which the patient is placed in a chamber containing 100% oxygen at pressures of more than one Atmosphere Absolute (ATA) - the atmospheric pressure at sea level, 14.7 pounds per square inch. Pressures from 1.5 to 3 ATA are typically utilized, and most hyperbaric treatments last about 2 hours.

Q: How does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy work?
A: Because of the increased oxygen and the increased pressure, hyperoxygenation physically puts 10 to 20 times more oxygen directly into the body's tissues. This results in a number of physiological mechanisms which produce many therapeutic effects.

Q: What are the effects of Hyperoxygenation?
A: Angiogenesis: As HBO physically dissolves extra oxygen into the blood plasma, it promotes a process called angiogenesis - formation of new capillaries into wound areas. This aids the treatment of anemias and ischemias.

Bacteriostasis: HBO inhibits the growth of a number of anaerobic as well as aerobic organisms. It also enhances the the processes of the body's own disease-fighting factors such as leukocytes, and these two effects complement one another.

Q: What are the effects of Increased Pressure?
A: Reduction in gas volume: Higher pressures produce an effect described by Boyle's Law - gas decreases in volume as the pressure on it increases. At 3 ATA, free gas trapped in the body is reduced in volume by two-thirds. Air embolism and decompression illness are successfully treated in this way.

Gas washout: Oxygen tends to wash all other gasses out of the body. Under increased pressure this process is more efficient, so HBO is extremely helpful in treating carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning.

Vasoconstriction: High pressure oxygen causes constriction of the blood vessels, decreasing edema and intracranial pressure. This effect is useful in burns and crush injuries.

Q: How does HBO therapy feel?
A: Most patients will feel no differently than they would at home in their beds. They can listen to music or watch TV, talk to family members, or simply take a nap. At times during the treatment, they may experience a sensation of fullness in the ears as their eardrums adjust to the pressure changes, but there are a number of easy ways to remedy this.

Q: How many treatments does HBO typically involve?
A: Treatments are individualized for each patient, based on the condition and their particular response to the therapy. Some emergency cases require only one or two treatments, while wound healing cases may take 20 to 30 treatments to achieve maximum benefit.

Treatments are administered once or twice a day for five to six days a week, on an in-patient or out-patient basis.

Q: Will health insurance cover the cost of hyperbaric medicine treatments?
A: Yes. You can find more information at http://cms.hhs.gov and
http://www.uhms.org/reimbursement.htm

Q: What after effects does HBO cause?
A: Naturally, like all medical treatments, HBO presents some risks, but it usually has no after effects.

Some patients report a "crackling" in their ears between treatments. This is easily relieved in the same manner that the ears are cleared of pressure changes during treatments. Some patients may experience lightheadedness immediately after treatments, but this usually passes after several minutes.

In rare cases, patients may develop temporary changes in eyesight. Altered vision usually returns to normal six to eight weeks after the end of treatment.