Who may need a pressure chamber

What is a pressure chamber

A pressure chamber is a special capsule with which the blood is saturatedHyperbaric oxygen therapy / U.S. National Library of Medicine oxygen. For this, the atmospheric pressure is increased inside the chamber and the gas supply is increased, that is, the procedure of hyperbaric oxygenation is carried out.

The result isHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy / Medscape such effects:

• Oxygenation increases - more oxygen is supplied to organs and tissues.
• The size of the gas bubbles in the blood decreases. This effect is used for gas embolism, when large bubbles clog the vessels and disrupt the blood flow in the organs.
• The vessels are narrowed and new ones are formed.
• Fibroblast cells that produce collagen grow.
• Due to oxidation, they are destroyed leukocytes, which is useful for various purulent infections, since pus mainly consists of white blood cells.
• The adhesion of leukocytes in the vessels decreases, that is, they do not stick to the walls. Therefore, there is less chance of blockage and impaired blood flow.
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• Lipid peroxidation is inhibited, thereby protecting the cell membranes.
• The activity of toxins is suppressed.
• The effect of antibiotics.

What are the pressure chambers

They differ in their design. Doctors useHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy / Medscape these types:

• Multi-position pressure chambers. Several people can be in them at the same time, as well as medical staff. Patients breathe in 100% oxygen through a mask or tight-fitting hood. If necessary, they are given a special gas mixture.
• Single pressure chambers. There is one person in it. Usually oxygen is supplied to the capsule, but masks can also be used to supply additional gas mixture, such as air. The medical staff is outside and monitors the patient's condition.
• Other types of cameras. They cannot be called full-fledged pressure chambers. The first option is not intended for breathing at all. The camera is simply fixed over the limb and oxygen is supplied under pressure. It should penetrate tissues to a depth of 30-50 microns. The therapeutic effect of such a device is minimal. The second type of camera is designed to treat altitude sickness in climbers. It is put on the head and creates pressure up to 1.5-1.7 atmospheres.

When treatment is prescribed in a pressure chamber

Sometimes - just to improve health, so baroque men often visit sanatoriums. But for hyperbaric oxygenation there isHyperbaric oxygen therapy / U.S. National Library of Medicine and specific indications:

• Air or gas embolism.
• Osteomyelitis, or an infection of the bones. A pressure chamber is prescribed if other methods of therapy do not help.
• Burns.
• Injuries that arise from prolonged pressure. For example, in people trapped under the rubble.
• FrostbiteTreatment of Frostbite With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy / Medscape.
• Poisoning carbon monoxide.
• Some bacterial infections of the brain and sinuses.
• Decompression sickness. It develops in divers.
• Gas gangrene. Severe infection in which gas builds up in the affected tissues.
• Soft tissue necrosis. Various infectious diseases lead to it, which cause the death of the skin and muscles.
• Radiation injury. It can occur with cancer treatments.
• Skin grafting. Under the influence of hyperbaric oxygenation, blood vessels grow better, and the graft takes root.
• Any wounds that will not heal with other methods.
• Ulcerative colitisHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy / Medscape and Crohn's disease.
• Opiate drug addiction treatmentAdjunctive Hyperbaric Oxygen Eases Opioid Withdrawal / Medscape .

When you cannot be treated in a pressure chamber

Hyperbaric oxygenation can be harmful. Therefore, there are absolute contraindications, when it is generally impossible to enter the pressure chamber, and relative, when it is possible only under certain conditions.

Absolute contraindications

Here is a list of them.Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy / Medscape:

• Untreated pneumothorax. This is a condition in which a person has an opening in the chest cavity due to injury or other reason. When using a pressure chamber, gas embolism can develop, air can enter the area near the heart and prevent it from contracting.
• Treatment with bleomycin. Due to the combination of this drug and hyperbaric oxygenation, interstitial pneumonitis, a severe inflammation of the lungs, can develop.
• The use of cisplatin. This chemotherapy drug is often prescribed cancer patients, but in combination with a pressure chamber, it impairs wound healing.
• Treatment of alcohol addiction with drugs based on disulfiram. This substance blocks enzymes that protect against oxygen poisoning.
• Anticancer therapy with drugs based on doxorubicin. In combination with a pressure chamber, it becomes toxic to the heart.
• Treatment with sulfamilone-based products. Wound healing is also impaired.

Relative contraindications

These includeHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy / Medscape:

• Asthma. A person may develop pneumothorax. But if the treatment illness selected correctly, then it is permissible to lie down in a pressure chamber.
• Claustrophobia. The fear of confined spaces can be overcome by taking strong sedatives before the procedure.
• Congenital spherocytosis. This is a disease in which red blood cells are not flat, but have the shape of a ball. Due to treatment in the pressure chamber, hemolysis, or the breakdown of red blood cells, may develop. Therefore, the procedure is done only in emergency cases.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. At COPD hyperbaric oxygenation can be performed under close supervision.
• Eustachian tube dysfunction. It connects the middle ear cavity to the nasopharynx and allows pressure to be equalized behind the eardrum. If the Eustachian tube is blocked, for example, swollen due to a runny nose, then when the pressure in the pressure chamber rises, barotrauma may occur.
• Heat. There is a risk of seizures. Therefore, it is permissible to carry out hyperbaric oxygenation after taking antipyretics.
• Pacemakers. They may stop working under pressure. But some manufacturers indicate that the devices were used in conditions of high atmospheric pressure. Then you can take a course of hyperbaric oxygenation.
• Epidural Pain Relief Pump. It is installed after severe operations on the spine, chest or abdominal cavity in order to continuously administer painkillers to the spinal cord area for several days.
• Pregnancy. The effect on the fetus has not been studied. The procedure is allowed in case of emergency.
• Convulsions. May start suddenly when blood pressure rises. If a person takes all the medications prescribed by a doctor, then the pressure chamber is not prohibited.
• Respiratory tract infections. There is a possibility of eardrum barotrauma. Therefore, you need to take decongestants or drip your nose. vasoconstrictor drug.

How to prepare for the procedure

First of all, you need to wash offHyperbaric oxygen therapy / Mayo Clinic decorative cosmetics, do not use any skin and hair care products, as they can ignite due to oxygen.

Also, before treatment in a pressure chamber, doctors will ask you to remove all metal objects that may heat up, or devices with batteries.

How is treatment carried out in a pressure chamber

Man lies downHyperbaric oxygen therapy / Mayo Clinic into the chamber, and it is hermetically closed. Then the atmospheric pressure in the capsule is gradually increased and the patient's condition is monitored. At this moment, his ears can be blocked, as when flying on an airplane. To pass it, you need to swallow or open your mouth forcefully, as if yawning.

The procedure takes about two hours. Although the duration may vary. The number of sessions is also individual. For example, to improve wound healing, you will needHow are patients selected for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)? / Medscape up to 30 procedures.