Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is a Hyperbaric Chamber?How It WorksBenefitsUsesSide EffectsPreparationResearch Findings
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is a Hyperbaric Chamber?
How It Works
Benefits
Uses
Side Effects
Preparation
Research Findings
Hyperbaric chamber therapy is a noninvasive medical treatment that boosts your body’s oxygen levels. Known medically as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), it treats carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, and slow-healing wounds.
This article explores hyperbaric chamber therapy. It discusses how HBOT works and what it treats. It also explains the possible side effects of hyperbaric treatment and whether or not insurance covers it.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
A hyperbaric chamber is a high-pressurized, enclosed space filled with pure oxygen. There are two types of hyperbaric chambers:
The air pressure inside a hyperbaric chamber is two or three times greater than in a typical room. This improves oxygen absorption and speeds healing.
What Does a Hyperbaric Chamber Feel Like?Most people find a hyperbaric chamber to be pleasant and relaxing. The increased air pressure may feel like you are in a plane climbing to a higher altitude and cause your ears to pop. You may feel lightheaded or dizzy during treatment. Afterward, it is common to feel like you completed a cardio workout.
What Does a Hyperbaric Chamber Feel Like?
Most people find a hyperbaric chamber to be pleasant and relaxing. The increased air pressure may feel like you are in a plane climbing to a higher altitude and cause your ears to pop. You may feel lightheaded or dizzy during treatment. Afterward, it is common to feel like you completed a cardio workout.
How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?
HBOT delivers pure oxygen under high air pressure, which helps the body take in more healing oxygen. This, in turn, allows for higher oxygen concentrations in the blood and other body fluids. Oxygen-rich fluids travel through different organ systems, helping to repair damaged tissues.
For example, higher levels of oxygen incerebral spinal fluid—the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal column—may be helpful for regenerating neurons after a stroke. A greater concentration of oxygen in the lymphatic fluid may help to clear waste fromlymph nodesand bolster your immune system.
How Long Is a Hyperbaric Therapy Session?Each hyperbaric therapy session lasts about two hours. The number of treatments you may need depends on your condition. For example, carbon monoxide poisoning commonly requires one to three sessions.
How Long Is a Hyperbaric Therapy Session?
Each hyperbaric therapy session lasts about two hours. The number of treatments you may need depends on your condition. For example, carbon monoxide poisoning commonly requires one to three sessions.
Hyperbaric Chamber Benefits
Many injuries and illnesses result in a disruption of oxygen-rich blood, being able to travel to affected areas of the body. The body needs oxygen to heal itself.
For example,diabetescan cause poor circulation, which makes it more difficult for oxygen-rich red blood cells to reach damaged tissue. This results in slow-to-heal injuries and wounds that are at high risk of infection.
HBOT helps to boost oxygen levels in your blood, which is believed to assist the body in the following ways:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be utilized as a stand-alone treatment or a procedure that can boost the action of medications, such asantibiotics.
HBOT is used to treat many different medical conditions and injuries that benefit from increased oxygen levels in the tissues.
Additional Conditions HBOT May Treat
Side Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Although hyperbaric chamber treatment is considered a natural and relatively safe therapy mode, some side effects are involved. These are primarily due to changing air pressure and affect the ears, sinuses, and lungs.
Side effects of HBOT are usually mild and temporary and may include:
To minimize problems with ears and sinuses, try yawning or swallowing to pop your ears and prevent pressure. Ear tubes are sometimes placed to reduce pressure during treatment.
Inhaling high concentrations of oxygen can also lead to oxygen toxicity, which can cause:
Your healthcare provider will instruct you to take frequent breaks to breathe regular air to prevent oxygen poisoning.
Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Cause Heart Problems?In general, heart problems are not considered a side effect of HBOT. However, there have been isolated reports of disturbances to electrical activity in the heart following hyperbaric chamber treatment.More research is needed before any clear link can be made.
Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Cause Heart Problems?
In general, heart problems are not considered a side effect of HBOT. However, there have been isolated reports of disturbances to electrical activity in the heart following hyperbaric chamber treatment.More research is needed before any clear link can be made.
Contraindications
Precautions
How to Prepare for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Before an HBOT session, it’s essential to shower. Avoid wearing perfumes, deodorants, petroleum-based skincare, and flammable haircare products like hair spray.
Do not drink alcohol or carbonated drinks for at least four hours before a session,
Smokers are encouraged to quit smoking when they receive therapy because tobacco products block the body’s natural ability to transport oxygen.
Your healthcare provider may ask the following questions before treatment:
Once your session is completed, you should not have any restrictions or limitations on activity or diet, though you may be tired or dizzy afterward.
Research on Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments
Clinical research studies on hyperbaric chambers have examined its safety and effectiveness for various maladies.
Skin Grafts and Flaps
One study examined the efficacy of HBOT used to treattissue grafts and flaps. The findings concluded that HBOT can “increase the likelihood of composite graft survival, improve skin graft outcomes, and enhance flap survival.”
The study authors also explain that HBOT is “not indicated for healthy, non-compromised tissue, but is a valuable salvage adjunct in the treatment of threatened grafts and flaps.”
Traumatic Brain Injury
In human studies involving those with severetraumatic brain injury (TBI), HBOT was deemed a “promising, safe, therapeutic strategy for severe TBI patients.”
Note this does not mean that there is clear evidence that HBOT is effective for traumatic brain injuries—more research studies are needed in this area.
SafetyIn one United States Government Accountability Office report, three article reviews found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was safe.
Safety
In one United States Government Accountability Office report, three article reviews found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was safe.
Cerebral Palsy (CP)
Although HBOT has been touted as one of the most effective procedures for cerebral palsy, one double-blind placebo study (the gold standard of clinical research studies) discovered HBOT was no different than pressurized air for kids with CP.
Osteomyelitis
According to Dan Rose, M.D., in anAmerican Family Physicianjournal entry, “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is associated with remission rates [a period during which symptoms of a disease are reduced or disappear] of 81% to 85% at two to three years in patients with chronic refractory osteomyelitis.”
Chronic refractory osteomyelitis is an infection in the bone that lasts longer than six months (regardless of antibiotic therapy and other appropriate medical treatment).
Summary
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps to increase the amount of oxygen in your body. It involves sitting or lying down in a high-pressurized enclosure known as a hyperbaric chamber. A session takes about two hours.
HBOT is used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, severe burns, slow-healing wounds, and decompression sickness. It is also used in alternative medicine to treat neurological conditions, depression, and heart disease, though more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness.
Hyperbaric chamber therapy is typically pleasant and relaxing, though air pressure changes can cause ear and sinus pressure. In rare cases, HBOT can cause a ruptured eardrum, collapsed lung, or oxygen poisoning.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Emerson Hospital.What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? How a Space-Age Tube Can Heal Wounds and More. Mar 19, 2021.University of Michigan Medicine.What to know before receiving hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy.Mayo Clinic.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Get the facts.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Complications of hyperbaric oxygen treatment.Goyal A, Chonis T, Bhyan P, et al.Hyperbaric cardiovascular effects. In:StatPearls[Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023.Celbek G, Boz BV, Caglar SO, Aydin LY, Kandis H, Saritas A.Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Am J Emerg Med. 2013 Jan;31(1):261. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2012.03.021Baynosa RC, Ashish F.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the compromised graft or flap.Advanced Wound Care (New Rochelle).2017;6(1): 23–32. doi:10.1089/wound.2016.0707Wang Y, Chen, D, Chen G.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injury.Medical Gas Research. 2014;4.18. doi:10.1186/2045-9912-4-18GAO Staff.Research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. United States Government Accountability Office.Lacey DJ, Stolfi A, Pilati LE.Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on motor function in children with cerebral palsy.Annals of Neurology; 2012;72(5):695-703. doi:10.1002/ana.23681Rose D.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic refractory osteomyelitis.American Family Physician.2012;86(10):888-889.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Emerson Hospital.What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? How a Space-Age Tube Can Heal Wounds and More. Mar 19, 2021.University of Michigan Medicine.What to know before receiving hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy.Mayo Clinic.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Get the facts.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Complications of hyperbaric oxygen treatment.Goyal A, Chonis T, Bhyan P, et al.Hyperbaric cardiovascular effects. In:StatPearls[Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023.Celbek G, Boz BV, Caglar SO, Aydin LY, Kandis H, Saritas A.Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Am J Emerg Med. 2013 Jan;31(1):261. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2012.03.021Baynosa RC, Ashish F.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the compromised graft or flap.Advanced Wound Care (New Rochelle).2017;6(1): 23–32. doi:10.1089/wound.2016.0707Wang Y, Chen, D, Chen G.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injury.Medical Gas Research. 2014;4.18. doi:10.1186/2045-9912-4-18GAO Staff.Research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. United States Government Accountability Office.Lacey DJ, Stolfi A, Pilati LE.Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on motor function in children with cerebral palsy.Annals of Neurology; 2012;72(5):695-703. doi:10.1002/ana.23681Rose D.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic refractory osteomyelitis.American Family Physician.2012;86(10):888-889.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Emerson Hospital.What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? How a Space-Age Tube Can Heal Wounds and More. Mar 19, 2021.University of Michigan Medicine.What to know before receiving hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy.Mayo Clinic.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Get the facts.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Complications of hyperbaric oxygen treatment.Goyal A, Chonis T, Bhyan P, et al.Hyperbaric cardiovascular effects. In:StatPearls[Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023.Celbek G, Boz BV, Caglar SO, Aydin LY, Kandis H, Saritas A.Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Am J Emerg Med. 2013 Jan;31(1):261. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2012.03.021Baynosa RC, Ashish F.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the compromised graft or flap.Advanced Wound Care (New Rochelle).2017;6(1): 23–32. doi:10.1089/wound.2016.0707Wang Y, Chen, D, Chen G.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injury.Medical Gas Research. 2014;4.18. doi:10.1186/2045-9912-4-18GAO Staff.Research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. United States Government Accountability Office.Lacey DJ, Stolfi A, Pilati LE.Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on motor function in children with cerebral palsy.Annals of Neurology; 2012;72(5):695-703. doi:10.1002/ana.23681Rose D.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic refractory osteomyelitis.American Family Physician.2012;86(10):888-889.
Emerson Hospital.What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? How a Space-Age Tube Can Heal Wounds and More. Mar 19, 2021.
University of Michigan Medicine.What to know before receiving hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy.
Mayo Clinic.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Get the facts.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Complications of hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Goyal A, Chonis T, Bhyan P, et al.Hyperbaric cardiovascular effects. In:StatPearls[Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023.
Celbek G, Boz BV, Caglar SO, Aydin LY, Kandis H, Saritas A.Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Am J Emerg Med. 2013 Jan;31(1):261. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2012.03.021
Baynosa RC, Ashish F.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the compromised graft or flap.Advanced Wound Care (New Rochelle).2017;6(1): 23–32. doi:10.1089/wound.2016.0707
Wang Y, Chen, D, Chen G.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injury.Medical Gas Research. 2014;4.18. doi:10.1186/2045-9912-4-18
GAO Staff.Research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. United States Government Accountability Office.
Lacey DJ, Stolfi A, Pilati LE.Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on motor function in children with cerebral palsy.Annals of Neurology; 2012;72(5):695-703. doi:10.1002/ana.23681
Rose D.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic refractory osteomyelitis.American Family Physician.2012;86(10):888-889.
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