Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, involves saturating a patient with large amounts of high-pressure oxygen, reports MayoClinic.com. Patients are placed in a special hyperbaric therapy room that allows the lungs to receive up to three times more oxygen than normal. The hyperbaric chamber increases oxygen pressure, which helps force oxygen into the lungs. The oxygen then dissolves within the blood and circulates to the tissues of the body. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be used for a variety of conditions.
Decompression Sickness
Decompression sickness, also known as the bends, is a potentially life-threatening problem that most commonly affects scuba divers who surface too quickly, according to the American Cancer Society. This disease can affect the limbs, joints or the central nervous system. Small nitrogen bubbles that form in the patient's blood vessels are responsible for the damage associated with the condition. Decompression sickness is also seen in miners, tunnel builders and fighter pilots.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, notes Creighton University Medical Center. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that binds to hemoglobin--the oxygen-carrying protein in the blood. Once bound to hemoglobin, carbon monoxide prevents oxygen from entering the blood, and this can cause damage to the body. Patients undergo HBOT to prevent the dangerous neurological complications associated with carbon monoxide poisoning. The extra oxygen helps release the carbon monoxide from the blood. Patients usually receive one to two 90-minute sessions of HBOT.
Nonhealing Wound
Patients who have a wound that is not healing properly may benefit from HBOT, according to MayoClinic.com. Tissues that have been damaged have an increased requirement for oxygen. The energy provided by oxygen promotes and speeds the healing process. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is most useful for wounds that have been unable to heal under normal circumstances.
Soft Tissue Infections
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has proven effective as a supplement to treating soft tissue infections caused by anaerobic bacteria, reports Creighton University Medical Center. By saturating the bacteria with high levels of oxygen, physicians attempt to kill or at least slow down the bacterial infection. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be used as an adjunct to surgery and antibiotic treatment. Therapy consists of multiple 90-minute sessions within a hyperbaric therapy chamber.
