Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments Reviews

Topical hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a technique of delivering 100% oxygen directly to an open, moist
wound at a pressure slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. It is hypothesized that the high concentrations
of oxygen diffuse directly into the wound to increase the local cellular oxygen tension, which in turn
promotes wound healing.
Topical hyperbaric oxygen devices consist of an appliance to enclose the wound area (frequently an extremity)
and a source of oxygen; conventional oxygen tanks may be used. The appliances may be disposable and
may be used without supervision in the home by well-trained patients. Topical hyperbaric oxygen therapy
has been investigated as a treatment of skin ulcerations due to diabetes, venous stasis, postsurgical infection,
gangrenous lesion, decubitus ulcers, amputations, skin graft, burns, or frostbite.
Due to their different methods of delivery, topical and systemic hyperbaric oxygen are distinct technologies.
With systemic hyperbaric oxygen, the patient is entirely enclosed in a pressure chamber and breaths oxygen
at a pressure greater than one atmosphere (the pressure of oxygen at sea level). Breathing 100% oxygen at
one atmosphere pressure or applying oxygen topically to parts of the body without the use of a pressurized
chamber, which encloses the patient completely, is not considered hyperbaric oxygen pressurization

Published clinical studies describing results from treating stroke patients with hyperbaric oxygen, performed at 11 different hyperbaric centers, were analyzed for benefit (a total of 265 patients). The cumulative amount of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (DHBOT) was calculated by multiplying chamber oxygen pressure (ATA) times the duration of each HBOT (in hours), times the total number of hyperbaric treatments. Efficacy of HBOT (EfHBOT) was computed from the number of patients in each study who showed significant clinical improvement of their neurologic status as a result of HBOT (percentage of the total number of patients who improved). The amount of benefit was compared with the total amount of HBOT. Analysis showed that benefit increased progressively as more treatments were given, as graphically depicted below.

More than 500,000 Americans have cerebral palsy (CP). There are more than 4,500 new cases of CP each year. The term cerebral palsy is not a diagnosis; it is a loose descriptive term that is used to describe a group of chronic disorders—specifically, motor disorders—which impair the control of movement. These disorders usually appear in the first few years of life.

Cerebral refers to the brain’s two hemispheres, or halves that contain the higher nerve centers. Palsy refers to any condition marked by tremor or any disorder that impairs control of body movement. CP is not describing disorders in the muscles or in the nerves. The impairment stems from damage to the motor areas of the brain, which in turn cause the brain to poorly control movement of the body’s muscles.