Serious Issues To Consider Prior To Hyperbaric Facility Planning

By Janine Hughes


The inhalation of 100% pure oxygen while lying inside a sealed chamber is highly regarded as a healthy and non-invasive treatment for many conditions. However, as with all medical treatments, there are always some risks for some patients. These risks must be considered when engaged in hyperbaric facility planning.

The building itself must be up to code and authorized to store large amounts of pure oxygen on site. Oxygen canisters are flammable and can be highly explosive, thus posing a threat to the surrounding community. Not only that, but the office where the procedure is being carried out would be utterly destroyed along with everyone inside.

This particular treatment has been used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning as well as incidents of poor wound healing. It has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of decompression illness resulting from rising to the surface too quickly while deep sea diving. Anyone who lives in an area where diving is a popular activity has probably these chambers inside the local acute care center.

Individuals run the risk of believing the treatment alone will cure them because they feel better. Utilizing an holistic treatment rather than continuing with scheduled chemo or other treatment can have potentially fatal results. There is no proof that these chambers can even treat, let alone cure diabetes, cancer, aging, depression, or autism.

Although research is still being done, because it is a benign treatment that truly makes patients feel better, many people suffering serious illness seek these chambers. Anything that can make a cancer patient feel better is generally regarded as a positive thing. However, patients are cautioned to continue their chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy if that is the treatment they agreed to in the beginning.

Many of the side-effects of these chambers are little-known, but patients and doctors both should be aware. First off, about 10% of all patients who undergo this therapy will experience some form of a seizure. Many facilities limit the length of time a patient can spend in the chamber, or require room-air breaks in the middle of a session.

Oddly enough, temporary near-sightedness, also known as myopia, can occur as a side-effect of multiple long sessions in the chamber. By temporary, this generally means literally weeks or months of lessened visual acuity, potentially requiring corrective lenses which may have to be changed frequently. This comes as a real shock to patients who have had their vision corrected with Lasik.

Worse than the myopia is the potential for permanent damage to the inner ear. This can be dangerous to elderly patients or anyone suffering osteoporosis. The inner ear controls balance, and a sudden and unexplained attack of vertigo can cause a person to take a terrible fall.




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