Risks Which Must Be Considered While Engaged In Hyperbaric Facility Planning

By Janine Hughes


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.

There will be codes and probably a license of some sort just to be able to store large quantities of pure oxygen on-site. These codes may well vary from state-to-state due to a variety of reasons. Whatever rules individual states must follow, it is due to the combustibility and explosive quality of oxygen canisters.

So far the FDA has approved this method to treat divers who suffer from decompression sickness. This is a condition that results from coming up from very deep water too quickly, and it is the only condition that the FDA has approved to be treated in such a chamber. As such, vacation areas and long-distance cruise ships where many people go deep sea diving is a popular place for just such facilities.

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.

Because the treatment is regarded as fairly benign, and it reportedly does improve the overall health and well-being of the patients who use it, there is always the risk that patients will neglect or completely discontinue their allopathic treatments. While the medical community does agree that even a placebo effect is good medicine if it makes the patient feel better, they also urge their patients to continue treatments such as chemotherapy or dialysis. Failure to keep these appointments, as scheduled, can have fatal results.

There are some health risks associated with this type of oxygen therapy, and patients should be aware of them. Seizures have been reported occurring as a result of high-oxygen saturation. Roughly ten percent of patients experience some form of seizure, so many facilities now require a ten minute period on room air for every hour and a half they spend in the chamber.

A temporary decrease in visual acuity, known as myopia, can develop as a result of this treatment. So far this appears to be only temporary, but it can create a real problem for patients. It takes a period of time for this myopia to return to normal, and such side-effects are the reason doctors will recommend only limited amounts of time within the chamber.

Worse than the myopia is the potential for permanent damage to the inner ear. This can be dangerous to elderly patients or anyone suffering osteoporosis. The inner ear controls balance, and a sudden and unexplained attack of vertigo can cause a person to take a terrible fall.




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