How Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Administered?

How Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Administered?

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is administered through the use of a monoplace or a multiplace chamber. The monoplace chamber accommodates a single person for each treatment. The Chico Hyperbaric Center uses a multiplace chamber, which accommodates up to six people per treatment plus a nurse, paramedic or other medical technician to assist with patient needs. At the Chico Hyperbaric Center no patient undergoes treatment without a health care professional in attendance during treatment.

When a patient enters the hyperbaric chamber they sit in a chair for the duration of the treatment. If a patient is unable to sit in a chair then a gurney can be used. When the chamber door is closed compression takes place with standard air, or the air we normally breathe. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to reach the desired pressure, equivalent to a depth of up to 60 feet of sea water. Once the desired pressure is reached a large, see-through hood is placed over the patient's head and 100 percent oxygen begins to flow into the hood. The patient breathes 100 percent oxygen for the prescribed amount of time, usually 60 to 90 minutes depending on the condition being treated. During treatment the patient can watch TV, read a book or just relax.

After the prescribed amount of time has elapsed the flow of 100 percent oxygen is stopped and the hood is removed. The chamber is decompressed, or returned to the same pressure that exists outside the chamber, which takes 10 to 15 minutes. The patient then leaves the treatment environment. If a patient is receiving two treatments a day the second treatment follows the first after a 3 to 4 hour break outside the chamber.

A patient receiving one treatment per day will spend about two hours at the treatment facility in either the morning or afternoon. A patient receiving two treatments per day will spend about four hours per day at the facility. The Chico Hyperbaric Center offers treatments Monday through Friday; treatments are not normally scheduled on weekends.

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