hyperbaric medicine
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO) is a treatment where the patient enters a chamber that, when closed, is filled with compressed air until the
required pressure is reached. Whilst in the chamber the patient breaths 100 percent oxygen delivered through a mask or by
means of a transparent hood.
Several disease states have been shown to respond to either primary or adjuct HBO therapy including
intravascular gas or bubble-mediated diseases, carbon monoxide poisoning, acute and chronic infections, as well as acute and chronic ischaemic
processes.
The European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine (ECHM) has advocated hyperbaric oxygen for the first line treatment of
the following conditions:
- Air or gas embolism
- Decompression illness
- Gas gangrene
- Necrotising fasciitis
- Post-radiotherapy tissue damage
- Preparation for surgery in previously irradiated tissue
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In addition, the USA Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS) supports the use of hyperbaric oxygen for the following
additional conditions:
- Crush Injury
- Severe blood loss anaemia
- Selected problem wounds
- Compromised skin flap and grafts
- Refractory osteomyelitis
- Osteoradionecrosis
- Thermal burns.
The diving chamber is a fully equipped saturation chamber with full mixed gas facility and a 34.4 bar (1,000 feet of seawater) capability. It is one of
the deepest diving chambers in the country.
Our second chamber is a medical chamber, which has a walk in door and can hold up to four hospital
theatre trolleys or 10 seated patients.
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There are intensive care facilities within both hyperbaric chambers, including high-tech patient monitoring and ventilatory support for the
management of the critically ill. In addition to the equipment within the hyperbaric chambers we are also able, if necessary, to defibrillate a patient under
pressure.
As a hospital based unit, we can provide other back-up services such as pathology, radiology - including CT Scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging,
physiotherapy, and surgical specialities if required.
Patient accommodation whilst at the hyperbaric unit will be arranged whether this be admission to a general
ward for observations or admission to a critical-care bed. A large number of chambers do not provide or offer this facility on site.
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hyperbaric medicine