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FAQ's
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Frequently Asked Questions by
Our Patients
Betsy Hill-Scragg, RN with patient Nancy
Seckman.
How does the oxygen get to
my wound ?
When you inhale the oxygen under pressure by hood, the
oxygen becomes systemic. This means that the oxygen you inhale into your lungs travels through the bloodstream and into the tissues of body, to
where your wound is
located.
What happens if
I cant stand to
be inside the chamber ?
What if I
am claustrophobic
?
Most patients are not
truly claustrophobic, but experiance
a feeling known as
confinement anxiety. Usually this feeling
dissipates after the first treatment. For those patients who are
truly claustrophobic or
continue to experience confinement anxiety,
physicians at
The Center for Hyperbaric Medicine can
prescribe medications to help relax patients during therapy.
How long does each treatment last ?
How long will I be inside the chamber ?
The actual treatment is
divided nto three parts. The amount of
pressure added to
the chamber and the rate of
pressurization will determine approximately how long it
takes to get to
your
prescribed treatment pressure. The average time being around 15
minutes.
During the treatment phase, the patient will receive 90 minutes of
oxygen breathing under pressure. Those patients who receive
oxygen at 2.5 ATA or greater will be
given at least one 10
minute air break
to reduce the risk of
oxygen toxicity occurring.
The hyperbaric technician or
the nurse will inform you of
your
treatment
pressure upon qualifying for HBO therapy. You will be
advised at that time whether you will receive an
air break during
the treatment phase of
your
therapy.
The decompression phase or
the time that it
takes to get a
patient to the surface is
also variable depending on
the
treatment depth with the average time being 15 minutes.
The
actual time the patient spends in
the chamber is
approximately 110 - 130 minutes or
an average of 2 hours.
The patient and any visitors accompanying the patient for
treatment should expect to
be at The Center for Hyperbaric
Oxygen for
approximately 2 ½ - 3 hours,
this includes treatment
time, vital signs, wound appraisal (if necessary), physician
assessment, and time for the patient to dress.
More
Frequently Asked Questions
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