Rx Pad

When treating patients with hyperbaric therapy in the monoplace chamber using 100% oxygen, the supervising hyperbaric physician may order air breaks to be provided to the patient at certain intervals during the treatment.

Sinus and internal and external ear disorders are the most common side effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO₂).¹ These spaces are the cranium’s pneumatic sockets and, particularly those of the middle and inner ear, are most frequently involved in the pressure stress caused by compression and decompression maneuvers during exposure to altered pressures in the hyperbaric chamber. Barotrauma is the mechanical tissue damage produced by environmental pressure variation, and the middle ear is the most frequently involved structure in this kind of damage. According to Boyle’s law (the product of pressure and volume is a constant for a given mass of confined gas) it is easy to understand why all enclosed air cavities are more susceptible to this kind of lesion. Barotraumas can occur due to an increase or decrease of gas volume. To avoid gas volume decrease during the compression phase, the patient must perform some compensatory maneuvers aimed at inhaling and forcing gas (air or oxygen) into the nasal and sinus cavities. During decompression in the chamber or even underwater, the body’s gas expands and is expelled from cavities to the outside, usually without any active maneuver. It is essential to teach the patient about the functions of the hyperbaric chamber and the correct maneuvers of baro compensation. In this article, we will describe the main barotraumas that can occur during hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Today is a special blog post, not our normal format. That said, as you may know, we are co-hosting a 21-Day Diabetes and Wound Care Challenge with Best Publishing Company. Registration for the 21-Day Diabetes and Wound Care Challenge opened on Wednesday and it has been very well received! There is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm among our colleagues! Have you accepted the challenge?

Ideally, an HBO program should have a detailed policy for the diabetic patient and the immediate steps that one should take to elevate the patient’s blood sugar. However, for the patient who has a recurring problem with blood sugars that are less than the recommended pretreatment level, there are several options. One option is to contact the managing physician and explain the need for relaxed glycemic control while receiving hyperbaric therapy.

Question: Each winter many hyperbaric oxygen therapy patients have difficulty getting to their scheduled treatments due to inclement weather. What recommendations do you have for helping keep patients' treatment schedules on track when the weather is a barrier to treatment?