Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – What Is It and How Does It Work?

Origins of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

The name “hyperbaric oxygen therapy” comes from the fact that the procedure involves therapy with concentrated oxygen delivered under pressure in a sealed chamber (soft or hard) or a specially prepared room. It has long been known that oxygen is vital for living organisms. Initially, hyperbaric chamber therapies were used to treat divers’ decompression sickness — hence its association with that field.

Subsequently, chambers began to be used in cardiovascular surgery to maintain high oxygen concentration in plasma to cover the body’s current metabolic needs. In the meantime, it became clear that oxygen therapy has many other significant effects on the human body.

What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

It is a proven and safe medical procedure whose action is based on using pure oxygen under appropriately high pressure. This eliminates the physiological barrier to oxygen penetration into the blood and body cells. Increased oxygen in plasma, lymph and cerebrospinal fluid supports the treatment of many diseases and improves the patient’s overall health and wellbeing.

Types of Hyperbaric Chambers

Large rooms: For multiple people, with controlled oxygen concentration, temperature and humidity. Rare and less accessible.
Hard chambers: Classic single or multi-person chambers. Allow significant pressure increase, widely used in medicine.
Soft chambers: Most common on the market due to mobility, easy assembly, smaller dimensions and lower cost. Pressure up to ~1.3 ATA — fully sufficient for most cell regeneration therapies, as oxygen at this pressure is absorbed into the serum ~10× faster than at normal pressure.

What Does a Therapy Session Look Like?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy begins with a medical interview. After completing a health questionnaire and checking for contraindications (untreated pneumothorax, sinus disease, ear problems, optic neuritis, pregnancy, fever, viral infections, claustrophobia, epilepsy), you prepare for therapy.

It is worth wearing comfortable clothing, removing sharp jewellery and shoes, and preparing items to bring inside. Inside there is usually light (dimmable), a warm blanket, an intercom, and an oxygen mask or microphone. Inside you can work on a laptop, talk on the phone, listen to music or an audiobook, read, watch something on a tablet, or simply relax during a nap.

The session begins with closing and filling the chamber with air. Slow compression increases pressure to the desired value — about 15 minutes, which may feel uncomfortable (similar to taking off in a plane or diving). The main part lasts about 60 minutes. Decompression takes another 15 minutes.