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.
The other benefits of increased pressure of oxygen in the tissues may include:
- More and improved oxygen supply
- Reduction in swelling and edema
- Stopping infection
Hyperbaric therapy can help wounds, particularly 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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Osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis is a bone infection. It is mainly caused by bacteria or other germs.
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Burns
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- Frost bites
- 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...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Certain types of brain or sinus infections
- 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 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 therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-powered x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.
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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, like pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
Treatment for long-term (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
Bove AA, Neuman TS. Diving medicine. In: Broaddus VC, Mason RJ, Ernst JD, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 78.
Lumb AB, Thomas C. Oxygen toxicity and hyperoxia. In: Lumb AB, ed. Nunn and Lumb's Applied Respiratory Physiology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 25.
Marston WA. Wound care. In: Sidawy AN, Perler BA, eds. Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 115.
Review Date: 8/3/2020
Reviewed By: Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, MHS, Paul F. Harron Jr. Associate Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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