For many years pure oxygen has been utilized as a treatment in hospitals and doctors offices, and this treatment often shows some very positive results. The procedure is relaxing as well as being non-invasive to patients who frequently are also suffering serious injuries or life-threatening disease. However, there are risks which must be understood while in the stage of hyperbaric facility planning.
The building itself must be up to code and authorized to store large amounts of pure oxygen on site. Oxygen canisters are flammable and can be highly explosive, thus posing a threat to the surrounding community. Not only that, but the office where the procedure is being carried out would be utterly destroyed along with everyone inside.
These chambers are often found in acute care centers along the coast because the treatment has been FDA-approved for the treatment of decompression sickness. This condition happens to divers who come up to the surface too quickly. Success has also been met with the use of this treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning, and the FDA does recommend attempting to treat these patients in a chamber to see if they can get the patient breathing again.
Possibly one of the more dangerous risks associated with it is the confidence that people put in this treatment to cure many diseases for which the FDA has not recognized it as being effective. A quick Internet search reveals claims that it can cure everything from cancer to diabetes, depression, and even autism. These claims have not yet been proven, as it is still in the research stage at this time.
Patients and many doctors regard this procedure as benign and basically beneficial because it does improve the way the patient feels. When one is facing a potentially life-threatening disease, any treatment which improves a symptom can be viewed as showing promise. Unfortunately this can cause some patients to think they should resort to the chamber and cease other life-saving treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.
Many of the side-effects of these chambers are little-known, but patients and doctors both should be aware. First off, about 10% of all patients who undergo this therapy will experience some form of a seizure. Many facilities limit the length of time a patient can spend in the chamber, or require room-air breaks in the middle of a session.
Only slightly less disturbing is the fact that patients who undergo regular sessions may experience a form of myopia which appears to be temporary. This effect seems to last weeks or months, but it can be quite troublesome. Because the risk of this increases when a patient has multiple sessions, it is recommended that patients limit the amount of time they spend in the chamber.
This therapy has also been blamed for damage occurring to the inner ear. This can cause the patient to become unbalanced or uncoordinated, suffering from bouts of vertigo for seemingly no reason. There is no data at this time to indicate that this damage heals itself over time, and it is most certainly caused by the increased pressure which is achieved within the chamber itself. This side-effect is particularly dangerous due to the fact that the patients who seek this treatment most, the elderly and infirm, are the ones most likely to suffer serious injuries from a fall.
The building itself must be up to code and authorized to store large amounts of pure oxygen on site. Oxygen canisters are flammable and can be highly explosive, thus posing a threat to the surrounding community. Not only that, but the office where the procedure is being carried out would be utterly destroyed along with everyone inside.
These chambers are often found in acute care centers along the coast because the treatment has been FDA-approved for the treatment of decompression sickness. This condition happens to divers who come up to the surface too quickly. Success has also been met with the use of this treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning, and the FDA does recommend attempting to treat these patients in a chamber to see if they can get the patient breathing again.
Possibly one of the more dangerous risks associated with it is the confidence that people put in this treatment to cure many diseases for which the FDA has not recognized it as being effective. A quick Internet search reveals claims that it can cure everything from cancer to diabetes, depression, and even autism. These claims have not yet been proven, as it is still in the research stage at this time.
Patients and many doctors regard this procedure as benign and basically beneficial because it does improve the way the patient feels. When one is facing a potentially life-threatening disease, any treatment which improves a symptom can be viewed as showing promise. Unfortunately this can cause some patients to think they should resort to the chamber and cease other life-saving treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.
Many of the side-effects of these chambers are little-known, but patients and doctors both should be aware. First off, about 10% of all patients who undergo this therapy will experience some form of a seizure. Many facilities limit the length of time a patient can spend in the chamber, or require room-air breaks in the middle of a session.
Only slightly less disturbing is the fact that patients who undergo regular sessions may experience a form of myopia which appears to be temporary. This effect seems to last weeks or months, but it can be quite troublesome. Because the risk of this increases when a patient has multiple sessions, it is recommended that patients limit the amount of time they spend in the chamber.
This therapy has also been blamed for damage occurring to the inner ear. This can cause the patient to become unbalanced or uncoordinated, suffering from bouts of vertigo for seemingly no reason. There is no data at this time to indicate that this damage heals itself over time, and it is most certainly caused by the increased pressure which is achieved within the chamber itself. This side-effect is particularly dangerous due to the fact that the patients who seek this treatment most, the elderly and infirm, are the ones most likely to suffer serious injuries from a fall.
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