Overview
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)?
Most people are unfamiliar with HBOT, and even medical staff do not know much about it. In fact, HBOT has been used in Taiwan for several decades. It was often used in treating decompression sickness (DCS), commonly known as Caisson disease, and its importance has only been realized and promoted over the past 5-6 years when the scope of therapy was expanded gradually. In fact, HBOT can be used to treat diseases or disorders that other therapies cannot, and the effect is generally unpredictably good. Therefore, it is necessary for us to share the good news with fellow medical staff and the general public.
In HBOT, the patient is put inside a hyperbaric chamber where pressure over 1 atm is applied. Also, pure oxygen is administered to the patient. In fact, therapies using changes in air pressure can be dated back to 300 years ago. It was in 1920 when oxygen was mass-produced and supplied that therapies using hyperbaric oxygen became more popular; and the use of HBOT to treat the Caisson disease was the first example. Nowadays, the HBOT is widely applied to nearly 100 types of therapies, such as osteomyelitis, wound treatment, carbon monoxide poisoning etc.
In HBOT, pure oxygen is used. It is an excellent therapy under proper operation; though it will cause damage under improper operation. Therefore, a HBOT team must receive adequate training and professional education. After professional training and meticulous monitoring, HBOT is a very safe therapy.
How does HBOT work?
In HBOT, highly concentrated oxygen is dissolved in plasma to increase the oxygen content of tissues and thereby to quickly discharge toxins in the human body. Clinically, it is often used in treating carbon monoxide poisoning, cyanide poisoning and other forms of gas poisoning.
As the oxygen content in plasma increases, blood vessels begin to contract as a result of oxygenation to control the compartment pressure of the wounded limb and the edema of transplant tissue. Clinically, compartment syndrome, crush injury, acute burns and hydrocephalus. The principle of pressure and gas volume is used to reduce the volume of bubbles inside the body. Clinically, this principle is often used to treat DCS and arterial gas embolism. The principle of peroxides can be used to kill and inhibit bacteria in order to promote WBC phagocytosis. Clinically, this principle can be used to treat gas gangrene, osteomyelitis and diabetic foot.
Professional medical team
To provide patients with safer and more comfortable therapies, HBOT medical staff is selected in 3 stages. All members of the HBOT team are senior professionals and specialists who have received training from leading medical centers home and abroad in order to provide patients with dedicated, professional services.
The in-charge physicians of Show Chwan’s HBOT Center have ten years of clinical experience in HBOT and have obtained the HBOT license from the USA. Moreover, they have taken continual education programs from leading medical centers home and abroad. Therapists are senior nurses with excellent performance and have received training and taken continual education programs in related areas from leading medical centers home and abroad.
In addition to the professional HBOT training, members of Show Chwan’s HBOT team have received related professional training, such as critical intensive care training, ACLS training, wound care training, first-aid training and clinical test training. The hyperbaric chamber is maintained daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. Members have received licenses for operating hyperbaric chambers. In order to take care of cancer patients, members of the team have received palliative care training. In order to cope with the mental and physical changes of patients, they have also received counseling training. There are many other skill-training programs for team members to ensure that patients can receive the best treatment.
For further details, please visit ：http://www.scmh.org.tw/hbo/
Equipment
Indications of far infrared therapy：
Wound union, decubitus ulcers, burn, ulcers, migraine, sports injuries, hand and food coldness, stroke rehabilitation, arthritis and poor blood circulation and blood circulation disorders.
To relieve the pain of diseases for the public, Show Chwan has equipped two multiple hyperbaric chambers at its HBOT Center. In addition to save patients from long waiting, we also provide DVD movies for patients to see during the therapy in order to reduce the boredom of therapy. We also have wound care professionals to change the dressing for patients.
Symptoms and indications
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FAQ
1. What are the side effects of HBOT?
There is nearly no side effect if HOBT is administered by specialists or professional therapists, though some patients complain about ear discomfort as a result of pressure change. As far as following exactly the pressure balancing exercise instructed by the therapist, the adverse effects will be minimized.
2. Can I breathe air during an HBOT session?
You can breathe easily during an HBOT session. We will give you an oxygen mask where you can breathe pure oxygen. In reality, the oxygen content in the air is only 21%. Therefore, you can always breathe air in an HBOT session.
3. What are the precautions for HBOT?
First, you must be assessed by a specialist. You can only receive HBOT when there is no unhealed pneumothorax or other problems. You must wear pure cotton clothes, wear no cosmetics or use any ointment in an HBOT session. As each session takes about 2 hours, if it is mealtime, please take your meal and go to toilet before the session. The precautions during an HBOT session will be explained to you before the session.
