Hyperbaric medicine

Hyperbaric therapy involves breathing oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber, allowing the lungs to collect more oxygen than they can at normal air pressure. The oxygen-saturated blood moves throughout the body where it:

• Aids in repairing tissue that has been negatively affected by poor circulation
• Enhances the ability of your white blood cells to kill bacteria and fight infection
• Helps new blood vessels grow
• Improves the body’s overall ability to heal chronic and nonhealing wounds and diseases

For these reasons, we offer HBOT as a part of our advanced wound care programs.

Multiplace hyperbaric chamber

The Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center has the only multiplace hyperbaric chamber in the region. This is a chamber that can accommodate several people at once and is larger and less confining than a single-patient chamber.

Pediatric hyperbaric chamber

Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center offers HBOT for children who have nonhealing or chronic wounds and conditions. Our hyperbaric staff is experienced in working with children to ensure your child gets the compassionate and high-quality care they deserve.

Radiation therapy is commonly used in cancer treatments. It has cured or extended the lives of untold numbers of those with cancer. However, radiation can have an adverse effect on normal tissue, causing inflammation of the tiny capillaries that provide oxygen to tissues. Over time, these capillaries scar, preventing blood flow and oxygen from reaching certain body tissues. HBOT can help with this, promoting healing and relieving symptoms.

We get questions regularly about our hyperbaric medicine program. Here are our most common questions:

• What is the hyperbaric chamber like?
  A typical HBOT chamber is a cylindrical, see-through chamber with a comfortable bed inside. We also offer multi-person chambers in which more than one person can be treated at once, sitting or lying down comfortably in a spacious environment.
• Does hyperbaric therapy hurt?
  No, you will not have any pain, but your ears may feel full or under pressure, similar to how you feel when riding in an airplane. Our specialists will help you clear that pressure and ensure you are comfortable.
• Do I have to have HBOT every day?
  That depends largely on your medical condition. Some injuries can often be treated with a single hyperbaric treatment and others will require additional treatments. Patients normally receive hyperbaric treatment five days a week for approximately four to six weeks. One treatment session takes about two hours and is a comfortable experience for most patients.
• Can I have hyperbaric treatments twice a day?
  Studies show that twice-daily treatments do not increase the healing rate or decrease the healing time except for critically ill patients. A treatment schedule of at least five out of seven days a week is best to ensure ongoing healing.
• What’s the difference between HBOT and "oxygen bars"?
  Breathing oxygen at ordinary atmospheric pressures, such as at an oxygen bar, for short periods of time provides little, if any, benefit for any medical conditions.