Today, an estimated 5.3 million Americans live with a brain injury related disability.  After brain trauma from an accident, brain cells can die or become dormant from lack of oxygen.  When brain cells die or are damaged the abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost.  These abilities can include speech, movement and memory.  How a brain injury patient is affected depends on where the injury occurs in the brain and how much the brain is affected.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is the delivery of oxygen to the body in a pressurized environment.  Pressure serves to saturate the hemoglobin in the blood with oxygen; in turn, this saturates the plasma, lymph and cerebral spinal fluid with oxygen.  These fluids then permeate the body, reaching many tissues that hemoglobin cannot and delivering 15 times more oxygen to the body than by breathing room air.

Oxygen delivered at pressure is a prescribed drug.  It is the careful application of this pressurized oxygen that promotes healing and wellness in patients, provided via a hyperbaric chamber.  These chambers have been in existence for more than 200 years, originally used in dive medicine when decompression sickness (“the bends”) started occurring during the Industrial Revolution. 

The patient treatment regimen begins with an orientation to the chamber environment – inside and out – including explanation of the pressurization and de-pressurization processes.  The patient is briefed on safety issues, attire and prohibited items.  Once the patient enters the chamber, the administering technician pressurizes the chamber to the prescribed level and then closely monitors the patient’s progress during the treatment, usually lasting for one to 1-1/2 hours.

Typically, patients receive these treatments 3-5 times per week over an average period of six (6) weeks. The treatment process is safe, painless and has few side effects.  Most patients sleep, watch television or listen to music while in the chamber.  The complications associated with this treatment are exceedingly minimal.  The most common problem is ear discomfort.

After a brain injury, adjacent healthy brain cells take over for dead or damaged brain cells. The problem occurs when healthy cells do not have enough oxygen available to perform its task. This is due to swelling and hypoxia.  The healthy cells become idle; they are alive but not working.  These “idling” cells cause a number of problems including  paralysis, loss of motor control, cognitive and memory issues, headaches, depression, dizziness and, in some cases, death. It is difficult to deliver oxygen across the blood-brain barrier to idling neurons; breathing oxygen at atmospheric pressure is not adequate. It is not until the pressure is increased that the white blood cells, hemoglobin and plasma become saturated with oxygen and can then break the blood-brain barrier and the oxygen can cross the cell wall. A person only uses a small part of the brain. Healthy brain is designed to take over for compromised areas; however without adequate oxygen the brain will continue to swell, constricting blood flow for the rest of the patient’s life.  HBOT is a safe and effective modality to bring oxygen to idling brain cells providing reduced cerebral swelling and relief from brain injuries.  HBOT has no side effects and has a great safety track record. The important note is that the sooner a brain injury is diagnosed and treated in the hyperbaric chamber the better the outcome will be but, it is still effective years post injury.  

A chronic wound is a disruption in the body's tissue that is most commonly associated with the loss of skin and the underlying tissue, the loss of muscle, or the loss of bone.  When there is a lack of oxygen it makes it difficult for the wound to heal.  Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivers oxygen to underoxigenated tissue.  This oxygen helps get oxygen to the affected areas of the body.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy makes it easier to see what tissues may need to be removed, lessens the chance of infection, promotes growth of new tissue and encourages bone repair.

Wound healing is a complicated process.  Many different steps need to take place in order for a complete healing process to occur.  Whether the wound is hypoxic or ischemic such as diabetic wounds, venous stasis ulcers, failing grafts or flaps, necrotizing soft tissue infections or refractory osteomyelitis, two basic staples are need for healing – sufficient oxygen supply and perfusion of oxygen to the affected tissues.

Increased oxygen tension is a major controlling factor in killing bacteria, resistance to infection, collagen production, new blood vessel growth, and new skin generation.  In wound with low oxygen levels, some or all of these processes are impaired.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivers 15 times more oxygen than breathing normal room air.  HBOT helps in the healing process by stimulating the cells which create new blood vessel (capillary) growth.  These new vessels are created in the wound area, allowing for nutrient enriched blood to reach the area of the body which requires healing.  Angiogenesis, or new blood vessel growth, generally occurs around 20 the twentieth HBOT treatment.

Increased oxygen is also needed in the creation of collagen and new skin growth, which are both necessary in the healing process.

In the outer areas of a wound, oxygen levels are decreased.  The lack of oxygen makes these areas prime targets for bacterial growth.  By increasing oxygen levels, bacteria are killed off and the body is able to stave off infection.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps in the recovery of oxygen-compromised wounds.  The therapy helps revive cells in viable tissue, allowing for a more complete healing of the affected area.  HBOT treatments for wound care are performed at 2.4 ATA for 90 minutes of oxygen breathing.

Information provided by Hyperbaric Medicine Practice, Second Edition Revised – Eric P. Kindwall, MD and Harry T. Whelan, MD.