Elective Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Although the primary role of the hyperbaric medicine unit is to provide emergency treatment for decompression illness and carbon monoxide poisoning, certain other patients benefit from the use of elective HBO therapy.

The conditions most often treated at the unit are specific types of infections, wounds and tissue damage caused by osteoradionecrosis.

Osteoradionecrosis

The most common condition treated at the Hyperbaric Medicine Unit is osteoradionecrosis caused by radio therapy for cancer of the head and neck.

In order to heal, the body's tissues require oxygen. Hyperbaric oxygen provides a better healing environment and can also lead to growth of many new blood vessels (re-vascularisation) around de-vascularised tissue, which can affect limb extremities particularly. The most common treatment carried out at the unit is for maxillofacial osteoradionecrosis and osteomyelitis, which results in damage to the jawbone and tissues due to radiotherapy for cancer in the head and neck.

These conditions are typified by local tissue ischaemia and infection. The lesions do not heal without the growth of blood vessels into the affected region and this is promoted by the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which also has bacteriocidal and bacteriostatic effects.

Elective Treatment

The dive table used for elective cases is the Modified Comex Treatment Table 12 (TT12). Treatment is usually carried out five days per week (Monday to Friday) for four to six weeks.

In the case of surgical patients, treatment normally consists of 20 sessions before, and 10 sessions after the surgery.

Information for new patients about to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be found in the patient information section of this site.