Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: An Overview

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is a form of treatment in which a patient breathes 100% oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure that is greater than 1 atmosphere absolute (ATA). Higher barometric pressure is used for delivering increased concentration of oxygen dissolved in plasma. Therapy is administered by special therapeutic chambers, which may be rigid or flexible. The therapy has been used over the last four decades for several medical indications. The lack of adequate scientific validation regarding efficacy and safety of treatment led to the lack of interest of physicians in this modality of treatment. Although in the last two decades, experimental studies on animals and clinical trials have produced validated scientific evidence and this has led to a renaissance of HBO, and hyperbaric facilities now form an important part of many hospitals all over the world. The aim of this overview is to summarize the mechanism of action, indications, contraindications and possible complications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.