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All human tissues and organs need oxygen in order to function. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the administration of oxygen at high atmospheric pressure. This saturates the body with oxygen, increasing the total available amount. HBOT is useful in the treatment of a variety of conditions that are associated with an insufficient amount of oxygen in part or all of the body.
HBOT is administered by placing the individual being treated in a special chamber that delivers pure oxygen at three times the normal atmospheric pressure. In most cases, the entire chamber is pressurized for treatment, and then depressurized before the person is removed. In some cases, oxygen is delivered by mask, making pressurization and depressurization unnecessary.
In the United States, HBOT is most commonly used in cases of trauma, including burns, wounds, injuries from motor vehicle accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning, acute cyanide poisoning, smoke inhalation, and the death of tissues from radiation therapy. HBOT is also used to treat skin grafts that are failing to take, gangrene, decompression sickness, and certain cases of blood loss and anemia. When used after surgery, HBOT has been shown to greatly improve early healing in a majority of cases. It has also been used to bring near-drowning victims out of coma, and it has proved to be a valuable adjunctive treatment for people who have opportunistic infections resulting from immuno-suppression, as occurs in people with HIV and AIDS.
In other countries, HBOT has been widely used to treat people who have had strokes, and those afflicted with alcoholism, drug addiction, arterial and vascular disorders, and multiple sclerosis. While the therapy has occasionally been used to treat such problems in the U.S., at this time many of these applications are still controversial among American practitioners. Nevertheless, HBOT is now being used by both conventional and alternative physicians, and continues to gain acceptance for new applications.
Although HBOT is strictly controlled for safety, it may not be appropriate for all individuals. People with a history of emphysema, middle ear infection, or spontaneous pneumothorax (accumulation of air in the chest cavity) may encounter problems with this therapy.
RELATED LINKS
Perry Biomedical: Wound Care Programs & Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Chambers
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