Treatment
- How is HBOT administered?
- Who Can Benefit from HBOT?
- Approved Indications for HBOT
- What to expect during treatment
- What you can bring into the chamber
How is HBOT Administered
At the Hyperbaric Center of Alabama, HBOT is administered through a monoplace (one-person) chamber. The chamber accommodates an adult or child for each treatment (also known as “dive”). At the Hyperbaric Center of Alabama no patient dives without a healthcare professional in attendance during the treatment.
HBOT is administered in a transparent, cylindrical, acrylic chamber, approximately 8 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The patient is first made comfortable on a cot-like stretcher and is then rolled into the chamber. Once inside the chamber, patients will hear oxygen beginning to circulate. Patients are able to see and talk with the chamber staff member, who will tell them when the gradual increase in pressure has begun. This is called compression. The reoccurring fullness in the ears will stop and patients may rest or sleep during the remainder of the treatment. While in the chamber, the patient has full 360-degree vision through the transparent enclosure. The chamber is equipped with microphones and speakers. The patient can watch a movie, listen to music, nap, or talk with the chamber technician.
Near the end of your treatment, the staff will gradually decrease the chamber pressure. This is the decompression phase, which usually lasts for about 10 minutes. During decompression, patients will experience an automatic "popping" sensation in their ears as a result of the decreasing pressure. This may be similar to what is felt in an airplane.
If the patient is receiving two treatments a day, the second treatment follows the first after a 3 to 4 hour break outside the chamber.
(Read What You Can Bring Into the Chamber for additional information.)