For more than forty years now, personal hyperbaric chambers have been used for the administration of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for treating a wide range of medical conditions, without adequate research and scientific validation of its safety or efficacy. Doctors and medical practitioners are
highly skeptical about this therapeutic method. Hyperbaric Medical Society and The Undersea
approves the use of personal hyperbaric chambers for the treatment of specific conditions as has b
een validated by medical research and papers. In such conditions, it is essential to start the treatment at the earliest possible stage following diagnosis.
Based on scientific evidences, some of the conditions that can be treated in personal hyperbaric
chambers are:
Adjunctive Treatment
Refractory osteomyelitis.
Injury induced by radiation therapy.
Unnatural prolongation of the wound healing process.
Excessive blood loss caused by anemia.
HBOT treatment in personal hyperbaric chambers, as per research, is ineffective for the treatment of diseases like dementia and multiple sclerosis. The procedure is nevertheless used, despite the health risks that are involved. For other unproven conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, gastroduodenal ulcer,
cirrhosis etc, the treatment should be conducted only in situations where the clinical trial is well controlled.
Biochemical and Cellular benefits of HBOT Treatment In A Personal Hyperbaric Chamber
Promotes wound healing and angiogenesis.
Kills certain types of anaerobes.
Prevents the growth of Pseudomonas.
Prevents the production of the toxin- clostridial alpha.
Restores the bacterial killing process by neutrophil in hypoxic tissues.
In the case of reperfusion injury, it reduces the chances of leucocyte adhesion, thereby preventing the release of free radicals and proteases which can cause cellular damage and vasoconstriction.
Personal Hyperbaric Chambers are of two kinds: Monoplace and multiplace hyperbaric chambers. Let us look into the features of both.
Monoplace hyperbaric chambers are:
Portable.
Affordable and cheap.
They are generally small in size, and hence accessibility to the patient in an ongoing therapy session is rather limited.
There are chances of fire as the highly combustible chambers are prone to accidents.
Multiplace hyperbaric chambers, on the other hand, have the following characteristics:
Due to the availability of space, an attendant can accompany the patient within the chamber.
In these chambers, oxygen can be administered by an oxygen mask. Therefore, the overall concentration inside the chamber can be reduced, and this in turn, limits the possibilities of a fire outbreak.
However, patients run the risk of getting infected when one or more patients are treated simultaneously with someone who has an ulcerous sore, or viral infection.
More often than not, doctors state that hyperbaric treatment is effective the most when the therapy is conducted at the earliest possible opportunity following diagnosis. This might be slightly problematic in the case of patients who are immobile and paralyzed, as they will have to travel over long distances
to reach a treatment facility where HBOT therapy is conducted. In such cases, a personal hyperbaric chamber solves a lot of problems. These monoplace chambers are available at an affordable price, and can be easily handled as the control systems are not very complicated. The therapy can continue
from 45 to 300 minutes, and patients may be required to undertake as many as forty sessions before any positive changes can be noticed. Facilities for mechanical ventilation and resuscitation are also available along with these chambers.
