Presentation of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

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Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), also known as HBO therapy, has been used since the 17th century to treat various medical conditions, but it is still not universally accepted as a routine treatment in medicine. Some doctors remain skeptical and do not use HBOT as an official treatment, although there is a noticeable trend toward greater acceptance.

1.1 Oxygen

Oxygen is essential for survival and the proper functioning of the human body. Normal air contains about 1/5 oxygen (21%). The concentration of oxygen dissolved in arterial blood, under normal gas exchange in the lungs, is roughly equal to the concentration in the air. Dissolved oxygen accounts for a small portion of the total oxygen in arterial blood, with most oxygen (97%) being bound to hemoglobin, which is nearly fully saturated at normal oxygen levels in the air.

Breathing pure oxygen under increased pressure in a hyperbaric chamber leads to a significantly higher amount of oxygen in the arterial blood, mainly due to increased dissolution in blood plasma. A person can survive without red blood cells, where hemoglobin is normally located.

The advantage of oxygen dissolved in plasma is that it can reach areas that red blood cells cannot due to their size. Furthermore, hyperbaric oxygen is vital in cases where red blood cells or hemoglobin are unable to perform their function (e.g., carbon monoxide poisoning or sudden massive blood loss). Oxygen is transported by red blood cells bound to hemoglobin. In a healthy person, red blood cells are already saturated with oxygen at normal pressure, but under higher pressure, more oxygen dissolves in the blood. This oxygen reaches damaged tissues.

Oxygen has many effects: when it reaches an area with insufficient oxygen due to poor blood circulation, it supports healing. Anaerobic bacteria cannot tolerate oxygen, which slows their reproduction and toxin production in the body. It also enhances the immune response of white blood cells, helping them kill bacteria more effectively.

In carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, the issue is that CO binds to hemoglobin and competes with oxygen; it also binds to certain enzymes in cells, inhibiting their function. Administering oxygen under pressure accelerates the displacement of CO, reducing the damage. The sooner the therapy starts after poisoning, the less damage occurs.

Oxygen also has important effects on the microvasculature, where nutrient and gas exchange occurs between blood and tissues. It positively affects the inner layer of blood vessels and restores microcirculation—similarly to some medications.

1.2 Therapeutic Value of the Chamber

The hyperbaric chamber works therapeutically by allowing higher concentrations of oxygen in the blood. In decompression sickness, well known among divers, where nitrogen bubbles form in the blood due to rapid ascent (comparable to bubbles forming in a suddenly opened bottle of soda), the chamber helps by increasing atmospheric pressure again and dissolving the bubbles, which can block vessels similarly to blood clots.

Oxygen therapy in such a chamber is suitable for many diseases. Oxygen has several mechanisms of action on damaged tissue: it reduces swelling by constricting vessels, stimulates new blood vessel formation, promotes connective tissue growth, enhances white blood cells' and antibiotics' activity, neutralizes toxins, and reduces harmful inflammation.

1.3 Results and Effects of HBOT

HBOT involves treating various conditions with pure oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure inside specially designed chambers. Over the last three decades, due to more intensive research, HBOT has been increasingly used for a growing number of conditions.

Treatment in a hyperbaric chamber is relatively simple. Patients lie or sit for one to two hours in a "capsule" with windows, breathing pure oxygen. During this time, pressure increases to 1.5 to 3 bar, equivalent to the pressure at a depth of 4 to 20 meters underwater.

In some cases, such as severe CO poisoning or decompression sickness, this treatment can be life-saving. It may also complement other treatments, enhancing the healing process.

Another example is radiation therapy in cancer patients, where tissue damage occurs due to the breakdown of microvasculature, leading to chronic wounds. In combination with surgery and antibiotics, HBOT provides excellent support. It is also used for chronic bone and marrow inflammation or slow-healing wounds due to poor blood circulation.

According to FDA and the European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine classifications, second-category indications are those where HBOT may significantly improve health outcomes and are applied based on clinical judgment—these include burns, certain infections, and blindness due to retinal ischemia.

Third-category indications include cerebral palsy (up to 200 treatments) and multiple sclerosis. HBOT is also used in some cases of brain injury and swelling. Oxygen reduces brain swelling but is harder to apply in intensive care patients connected to multiple devices.

In CO poisoning, one treatment is usually enough. In other conditions, more are needed—20–30 sessions for radiation injuries or wound healing, 30–40 sessions for chronic bone infections. Smoking and diabetes significantly reduce treatment effectiveness.

HBOT also stimulates stem cells to produce new nerve, bone, muscle, and gastrointestinal cells.

1.4 How the Hyperbaric Chamber Works

The pressure in a hyperbaric chamber is gradually increased to two to three times normal atmospheric levels (sometimes up to six times). Smaller, single-person chambers are completely filled with oxygen, as in the HBO2T studio. Claustrophobia is rare.

HBOT Mechanisms and Effects:

  • Increased oxygen diffusion into cells via plasma reduces tissue inflammation and removes air bubbles quickly by enhancing their dissolution.
  • Boosts immune defenses: Enhances leukocyte phagocytosis and has strong bacteriostatic/cidal effects—most effective against anaerobic infections.
  • Enhances drug efficacy: Improves effects of antibiotics, diuretics, antiarrhythmics, and chemotherapeutics.
  • Strengthens the immune system, boosting cellular immune response.
  • Reduces tissue edema: Enhances blood flow via vasoconstriction, improved erythrocyte membrane elasticity, and capillary network formation.
  • Enhances antioxidant defense: Normalizes energy, metabolism, and cell function, slowing aging.
  • Improves condition during/after radiotherapy: Increases cancer cell sensitivity and accelerates healing of radiation injuries.
  • Accelerates wound and bone healing: Promotes collagen synthesis and bone regeneration.
  • Aids detoxification: Especially useful in CO or other toxic gas poisonings.
  • Promotes nerve tissue regeneration: Reduces spasms and enhances nerve conductivity.
  • Improves physical and mental performance
  • In athletes: Faster recovery from injuries and improved stamina through lactic acid removal.
  • For executives (managers): Anti-stress effects and reduced heart attack risk.
  • Pre-load use (before exertion): Increases productivity by ~20% and endurance by ~35% for several hours post-therapy.

1.5 Indications for HBOT Use

In the HBO2T Studio, patients will be treated based on recommendations from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) and the European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine (ECHM).

1.5.1 Emergency Cases:

  • Arterial gas embolism
  • Decompression illness (diving injuries, barotrauma, etc.)
  • Burns
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke/gas inhalation
  • Necrotizing soft tissue infections and gas gangrene
  • Acute hearing loss and/or tinnitus
  • Acute blindness

1.5.2 In Surgery:

  • Thermal injuries (burns, frostbite)
  • Crush and blast injuries
  • Necrotizing fasciitis
  • Gas gangrene
  • Acute/chronic osteomyelitis
  • Avascular necrosis of the hip
  • Non-healing fractures
  • Skin grafts/flaps
  • Subacute and chronic arterial insufficiency
  • Radiation tissue injuries
  • Severe trauma
  • Slow-healing wounds (diabetic, vascular, pressure ulcers)
  • Sports injuries

1.5.3 In Neurology/Neurosurgery:

  • Dizziness, headaches, migraines
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries
  • Brain abscesses
  • Stroke, spinal cord injury
  • Brain edema (toxic, traumatic, vasogenic)
  • Post-anoxic encephalopathy
  • Early organic brain syndromes

1.5.4 In ENT (Otolaryngology):

  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • Bell’s palsy
  • Vestibular disorders
  • Sudden deafness, tinnitus

1.5.5 In Ophthalmology:

  • Acute blindness, retinal artery/vein occlusion
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Optic neuritis
  • Open-angle glaucoma

1.5.6 In Internal Medicine:

  • Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Peptic ulcer
  • Complicated diabetes (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, foot ulcers)
  • Heart failure
  • Post-myocardial infarction
  • Pre-cardiac surgery conditioning

1.5.7 Not Yet Widely Confirmed Indications:

  • Male infertility
  • Vascular impotence

1.5.8 Additional Indications:

  • "Managerial" stress-related disorders
  • Anti-aging programs
  • Weight loss

1.6 Side Effects

As with any medical treatment, HBOT can have side effects alongside benefits. Oxygen can be toxic if inhaled for prolonged periods under high pressure, producing harmful reactive oxygen species faster than normal.

Effects on the central nervous system may include discomfort, nausea, tingling, tinnitus, and vision changes. It can also irritate the lungs, though these effects usually stop after treatment ends.

Patients often experience difficulty equalizing pressure in the ears and sinuses, which can cause ear pain or eardrum injury (barotrauma). This can be mitigated with training, nasal decongestants, or, in some cases, a controlled perforation (myringotomy) performed by an ENT specialist.

People with severe colds should not undergo therapy. Lung barotrauma is possible when pressure is reduced, especially in patients with conditions like emphysema—treatment decisions in such cases require caution.

Excess oxygen can also be toxic to the CNS, eyes, and lungs. In rare cases, it may trigger seizures in sensitive individuals.

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