What will Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatment be like; mono chamber vs multi chamber?

MONO-CHAMBER:

Before your therapy begins, your vital signs (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar if you are a diabetic, heart rate, etc.) will be taken to be sure they are within a normal range.

  • You will then change into Oxygen Oasis issued scrubs and placed onto the chamber bed. A grounding strap will be placed on your wrist as an anti-static measure. During your therapy, you will rest comfortably lying down in your own individual chamber. 
  • A certified hyperbaric technologist will be operating the chamber and will be with you at all times.
  • There usually will be other patients within the room in their own chamber.
  • You will be breathing 100% oxygen during most of the treatment time, which will take approximately 1 to 2 hours depending on the treatment protocol.
  • During the first 10-15 minutes of the treatment, the air pressure in the chamber will be increased gradually until it reaches the prescribed treatment pressure. You will notice that the air gets warmer during compression. When the treatment pressure is reached, the chamber will be kept at a comfortable temperature.
  • You will also hear air coming into the chamber, and you will feel a sensation of pressure in your ears, similar to that experienced during an airplane trip. This is normal, but you may have to clear your ears several times during this compression. This pressure can be relieved by a few simple equalization procedures. Your hyperbaric operator will teach you ways to relieve this sensation prior to your treatment.
  • Please notify the operator immediately if you start feeling discomfort in your ears or sinuses so that the compression can be stopped and you can be verbally assisted in equalizing the pressure in your ears before proceeding with the treatment.
  • During most of your treatment time, you may relax, listen to music, watch TV or select one of the many options on NETFLIX.  You are welcome to bring your own DVD’s or music to use during your treatment.

MULTI-CHAMBER:

Before your therapy begins, your vital signs (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar if you are a diabetic, heart rate, etc.) will be taken to be sure they are within a normal range.

  • You will then change into Oxygen Oasis issued scrubs and escorted into the chamber to a seat, where you will remain in a seated position.
  • An oxygen hood or mask will be placed and adjusted for comfort. During your therapy, you will rest comfortably, watching television or reading. 
  • A hyperbaric technologist will be operating the chamber and will be in contact with you via the inside the chamber hyperbaric Tender and the patient monitoring system at all times.
  • There usually will be other patients inside the chamber.
  • You will be breathing 100% oxygen during most of the treatment time, which could take approximately 1 to 2 hours, depending on the treatment protocol.
  • During the first 10-15 minutes of the treatment, the air pressure in the chamber will be increased gradually until it reaches the prescribed treatment pressure. You will notice that the air gets warmer during compression. When the treatment pressure is reached, the chamber will be kept at a comfortable temperature.
  • You will also hear air coming into the chamber, and you will feel a sensation of pressure in your ears, similar to that experienced during an airplane trip. This is normal, but you may have to clear your ears several times during this compression. This pressure can be relieved by a few simple equalization procedures. Your hyperbaric operator and tender will teach you ways to relieve this sensation prior to your treatment.
  • Please notify the operator or tender immediately if you start feeling discomfort in your ears or sinuses so that the compression can be stopped and you can be verbally assisted in equalizing the pressure in your ears before proceeding with the treatment.
  • During most of your treatment time, you may relax, read a book or watch TV.
  • During most of your treatment time, you may relax, read a book/newspaper, listen to music, or select one of the many options on NETFLIX.  You are welcome to bring your own DVD’s or music to use during your treatment.

 You will feel no unusual sensations, despite the fact that you are breathing 100 percent oxygen. Short periods of breathing room air may be part of the treatment. During these times you will be asked to place a mask, supplied for you, over your nose and mouth if you are in the mono-chamber.  If in the multi-chamber you will remove the hood or mask to breathe chamber air.  This is to prevent your body from accumulating too much oxygen, which though rare, can result in oxygen toxicity.  Breathing short periods of room air prevents this from occurring.

During the last 10 minutes or so of your treatment, the pressure in the chamber will be decreased gradually until it is back to normal atmospheric pressure and the chamber temperature will get cooler. During this time, you may again feel a pressure or popping in your ears. However, don’t try to clear your ears during this decompression time. Your ears will clear automatically.

It is also important during this time not to hold your breath. Your chamber operator will help you to remember this.

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