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Bigger and better hyperbaric chamber opens.
June 04, 2020
Sarah Courtney, Minister for Health
The health, safety and wellbeing of Tasmanians is our highest priority as we continue to deal with COVID-19.
From tomorrow, the new Department of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, with more capacity and capability for patient treatment, research and training, will open in K-Block.
This means more patients can be treated with hyperbaric oxygen simultaneously in the multiplace chamber, which has capacity for up to 10 patients.
There is also a dedicated treatment room for ICU patients who require hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Patients will enjoy improved amenities in the multiplace chamber with more space, patient entertainment and a private toilet.
Two monoplace chambers are also available for patients who are unable to sit or who cannot tolerate the traditional method of oxygen delivered via a hood or mask.
K3E has more clinical areas with more wound, treatment and consultation rooms.
Tasmania’s new state-of-the-art multiplace, hyperbaric chamber has been designed by Australian experts with clinical and technical advice every step of the way from the Royal Hobart’s hyperbaric team.
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is a well-known treatment for decompression illness and is essential for Tasmania’s commercial and recreational diving industries.
It is also used to treat other conditions that affect many Tasmanians every year – tissue injury from radiation after treatment for cancer, diabetic wounds and serious infections such as gangrene, for example.
The chamber has been fitted with dual-capability to pressurise (hyperbaric) and depressurise (hypobaric) and is a first for the southern hemisphere.
Hypobaric chambers are used for aerospace, or altitude research and training to simulate the effects of high altitude on the body, especially low oxygen levels and low ambient air pressure.
The dual-capability chamber will create a world-class research facility, unique in the southern hemisphere and one of just a few globally; the first with combined capability in the country.
Meanwhile, following rigorous testing, the helipad will be fully commissioned and ready for patients from Wednesday, May 6, 2020.
Fast, dedicated lifts in K-Block will allow retrieval teams to get patients to their treatment areas within minutes.
This is significantly faster than landing at the Cenotaph, which required transfer by road ambulance to the hospital.
Also, a third inpatient ward will open in K9E on Thursday, May 7, 2020.
The orthopaedics and surgical specialties unit will open 25 beds and includes a bariatric room, negative pressure isolation room and state-of-the-art burns bath with best practice airflows in its own designated area.
Patient services are now being delivered in K-Block with admissions and departures on KG, general and respiratory medicine, K10E and general and vascular surgery, K9W.
We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation daily and will remain flexible in the use of health facilities to best meet the health needs of Tasmanians.
The sequence and opening of more wards and services over coming weeks will continue to be reviewed in light of Tasmania’s COVID-19 preparedness.
Read more: here.
HBOT for COVID-19 pneumonia and respiratory failure by Dr Paul G Harch
April 15, 2020
Since the original post here on 3/10/2020 Dr. Harch has been communicating nearly daily with the Chinese physician group who had the initial experience treating COVID-19 pneumonia and respiratory failure in Wuhan, China. The goal, based on Dr. Harch’s 29 years of interface with academic physicians, institutions, and governments where decisions to implement a medical therapy are based on published information in peer-reviewed medical journals, has been to get Dr. Xiaoling’s, Chen’s, and colleagues’ original five case series published in an English language medical journal. Simultaneously, recommendations would be made on safety features for delivering HBOT to patients while protecting healthcare workers and other patients.
Because of the urgency/emergency in trying to disseminate this information safely Dr. Harch reviewed all of the data, organized the Chinese experience, and presented it to the governors of New York and Louisiana, the two hardest-hit U.S. epicenters of the pandemic and their medical staffs. The goal was to have government sponsored HBOT application in safe hospital settings. Their response was that they wanted to see published information on the Chinese experience, reinforcing the original plan to get the Chinese HBOT data published in an English-language scientific/medical journal. When these responses were received Dr. Harch tried to convert his clinic to an exclusive COVID-19 treatment center, but due to the severe condition of the patients, the need for ambulance transport daily from the hospital to the clinic, and the lack of reimbursement for this transport, this plan had to be abandoned and a formal application made for a study to be done.
Yesterday, my published Commentary article was released by Medical Gas Research which is attached. It will be in the June issue of Medical Gas Research and should appear on their website shortly. The graph in the Commentary is from the Chinese 5 case series, showing the daily increase in blood oxygen saturation with each HBOT. With permission from the Chinese authors I have also posted their two case reports, a ventilator patient, and a severe patient who was deteriorating and refused intubation. That second case report is the most severe patient in their five-patient series. The severe patient’s case report was translated to English for me by the Chinese authors. I am awaiting the translation of the ventilator patient case report. Also listed below is the English language version of the manuscript released by Dr. Xiaoling to colleagues in China earlier in the pandemic out of urgency to spread their experience. The recipients put it on the internet and it has circulated in several forms. The final version of this, reformatted, and partially grammar corrected for English by Dr. Harch with stronger arguments on the rational for HBOT in COVID-19 is awaiting the Chinese author’s permission to release once the Chinese journal has published this version.
Lastly, the Chinese infection control procedures for their multi-place chamber are listed, along with a picture of the console/department staff of the hyperbaric unit. They do not have a picture of the “inside” attendants. The “inside” attendants actually never entered the multiplace chamber with the patients. They remained in a separate lock from which they could enter the patient lock if necessary. In the treatment of 35 patients no hyperbaric staff entered the treatment lock. None of the medical staff contracted COVID-19. Of the 35 patients, 29 were less severe than those described above. The Chinese doctors stated that these patients would have all improved without HBOT, but once the patients witnessed how rapidly the severe patients improved they demanded HBOT from the hospital administration. The administrators “pressured” the HBOT staff to treat the less severe patients. All 35 recovered and were discharged from the hospital “cured.” Since then Dr. Harch has communicated with a physician team at another hospital in Wuhan that has treated 34 patients. They stated that it was a clinical urgency that prompted their attempt at HBOT. They performed no “study,” but are now collating their data to present. Purportedly, hyperbaric physicians in Pakistan, Iran, Thailand, and Japan have also begun treating COVID-19 patients.
The net result of all of this is that the Chinese experience with HBOT in COVID-19 is duplicating the Cunningham experience with Spanish Flu in 1918. There are now multiple studies that have been launched on HBOT in COVID-19. HBOT appears to be treating the hypoxemia and underlying pathology (lung inflammation) in COVID-19.
Footballer Ben Amos talks HBOT and how it has up’d his goalie game.
June 26, 2019
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used as an adjunctive therapy to treat sports injuries, from the acute traumatic injury, to muscle contusions and ankle sprains. It is also used in treatment of joint, ligament, and tendon injuries reducing recovery time.
The use of hyperbaric chambers by sporting professionals is no new craze; at our chambers in London and Rugby alone we have been consistently treating sporting professionals from a variety of different sports with HBOT since we opened in 2004. In more recent years a number of top premiership football clubs have also invested in having their own hyperbaric facilities on site for injured players.
Last year alone we saw super cyclist Mark Cavendish in the Isle of Wight instagramming himself while on the O2 bibs and this time he wasn’t recovering from a shoulder break.
There is no question why a sportsperson wouldn’t choose HBOT, they need to be in great physical health and this does not stop after training has finished. Awareness is increasing in areas of care, recovery and wellbeing everyday and the use of HBOT growing alongside the stakes.
Hyperbaric oxygen helps with the reduction of swelling and facilitates soft tissue healing, the results cannot only help to speed up recovery but can also aid their performance and reduce fatigue.
I met with Ben Amos, Professional Footballer to find out about his experience of using HBOT to reduce fatigue throughout the season.
Hi Ben, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am originally from Macclesfield, but have been living on road most my life, sort of south Manchester area really, however I have come to London for the first time to live.
And how has your football career been so far?
I play professional football as a goal keeper for Bolton Wanderers and this year I am on loan to Charlton Athletic for the season which is how I arrived in sunny London. I joined Manchester United at the age of 11, and have played for Peterborough United, Molde and Oldham Athletic. I’m an England youth international, having represented at every level from Under-16 to Under-21.
How often do you train for football?
All the training is tailored around the games so each week it is dependable how many games we play. It tends to be about 5 or 6 sessions a week with two games.
Have you saved any more goals since starting treatment?
I have kept a few clean sheets this season which means I haven’t conceded any of the games, who knows whether it is because of the chamber or not…
How do you find out about the chamber and it’s treatment?
I thought of all places in England there will probably be one in London if there is one. Had a Google about and found LDC. Thankfully the place I am living is right near a tube stop and the chamber is too, it makes sense on my day off to come and do it.
How did you about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
I listen to a lot of pod casts, one in particular on UFC fighting, a fighter mentioned HBOT as a tool for his improvement, he spoke about treatments during his training leading up to fights and aiding recovery after fights. In the past I have sort of experienced, not burn out as such, but periods of fatigue throughout the season; so thought I would give it a go.
How did you initially get in contact?
Had to email the Doc back and forth, this took a bit of time, then I had to attend a consultation with the Doctor, and after that I was good to go for the following week.
What was your first dive in the chamber like?
It was different to anything I have done, I think I mentioned to you when we were in the pot that it’s different in there when we are under pressure, my hips click loads. Big thing is managing the time whist you are inside. I do a treatment that lasts an hour and ten minutes and being the impatient person I am, it feels like longer. My advice is to definitely take a book in with you! There are no distractions except the book, some people enjoy the more than me it seems. Just sat there just reading takes a bit of getting used to for me. I have done the longer treatments but I was advised that the hour treatment is most appropriate for me both cost and time wise.
Since you’ve started have you felt the effect of the therapy on anything other than fatigue?
All I can say is I rarely get niggles now. I used to experience discomfort in my hips and elbows but no complaints of late. I have got a sore hand at the moment but it feels a bit better than it has done as the treatment has been helping with swelling.
What do you talk about when in the chamber?
It is hard to talk when you have got a mask on you face! It’s only you that really talks to me in there (no surprise there) but normally I’ll talk a glass eye to sleep.
If you had to go in the chamber for a diver recompression time (6 hours) who would you take with you?
I would take someone who can talk me to sleep, that would be you then. I’ll take you there.
Have you got any strange chamber habits?
I go bare foot, is that weird? The first few times I went in I got so hot, my shins were sweating and I didn’t really enjoy it so best thing to do is go bare foot as socks weren’t going to help that. I would rather be too cold than too hot and you have blankets.
What do you eat after a dive?
Not my normal diet but on Wednesdays I treat myself to fish and chips! Hahah really not my normal diet but I need the good energy before hot yoga!
What session are you on?
Doing it a good few months now and my overall I would say I feel as good as I have ever felt.
Would you recommend the chamber to anyone?
I tried to get some mates from the team to come and do a session. I think that they enjoy their days off too much. I would definitely recommend the therapy.
Have you learnt anything about diving since you been here?
A little bit about the bends and the nitrogen bubbles, is that right?!
What are your plans for treatment moving forward?
If I move back up north or further a field I will have to have a re-think, see if there are any centres as great as you guys to get treatment at.
Taken from the archives of our hyperbaric magazine, Tanked Up
Radio HBO
June 05, 2019
Listen to Dr Paul Claus, outgoing medical director of Mayo Clinic’s Hyperbaric and Altitude Medicine Program, discuss hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Could Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy help you? For you free assessment with the Doctor at our clinic in Rugby, Midlands please contact the team by clicking HERE.
What Actually Is Oxygen Therapy?
May 24, 2019
O2, or oxygen is ordinary in our every day lives, it is in fact it is the third most abundant element in the universe by weight. It is colourless and odourless and this lively gas is incredibly reactive.
We breathe it in as we go about our day, at the chamber we breathe it almost pure at 100%, under pressure when we descend on a dive in the chamber, and we follow strict procedures to keep our oxygen safe in storage.
When referring to Oxygen Therapy we talk about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT. HBOT can bring welcome relief and healing to you, your friends and family.
So how can ordinary oxygen be used as a therapy if we are already breathing it?
Dr Ron Linden on HBOT DFU Research Fraud Presenting at the BHA 2018
December 03, 2018
Why is the NHS not funding Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments for Diabetic foot ulcers when it has apparent positive results?
Get ready for the most well respected whistle blower of the DFU (Diabetic Foot Ulcer) study scandal to tell you why.
HBOT is a treatment in which a patient breathes 100% oxygen whilst inside a chamber at a pressure higher than sea level pressure. It is the new application of an old technology to help resolve certain medical problems. When a patient is given 100% oxygen under pressure, haemoglobin is saturated, but the blood can be hyper-oxygenated by dissolving oxygen into the plasma which gets to the tissues in greater concentrations.
It can be helpful particularly for anyone who is suffering from a wound that is slow to heal. Diabetic ulcers are prime examples of such wounds. They are graded in terms of their severity, which is usually related to the length of time the ulcer has existed. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can be useful for all grades of ulcer, by speeding healing and preventing the ulcer from deteriorating. This helps decrease the risk of unnecessary surgery or amputation. It also reduces long term costs such as the use of expensive dressings, and frees up hospital beds and staff.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans
April 30, 2018
Governor Doug Ducey has signed off on legislation expressing support for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to treat veterans with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Father Christmas’s health
December 17, 2017
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TCOM; How we predict who will benefit from HBOT
October 02, 2017
WILL IT WORK FOR ME?
With some medical conditions it is possible to predict how well HBOT will work to cure the problem.
This is by using transcutaneous oxygen monitoring – or TCOM.
TCOM is a non-invasive method of measuring the oxygen level of the affected tissue.
As oxygen is carried by the blood, TCOM is used as an indirect measure of blood flow to the tissue.
And as blood flow is important for wound healing, TCOM is used to predict the ability of tissue to effectively heal with HBOT.
VIDEO
It is most commonly used for lower leg problems caused by diabetes, but as the electrodes can be placed anywhere on the body it is also used for problem wound healing and post-irradiation tissue damage elsewhere on the body.
If the doctor thinks that TCOM will benefit in assessing a patient for HBOT, then it will be used before treatment is commenced.
TCOM can also be used to assess how well the HBOT is working by performing measurements after ten or twenty HBOT treatments.
Phil Collins Uses Hyperbaric Chamber for Diabetic Foot Abscess
January 30, 2017
After experiencing a bit of a revival in the popular culture recently, Phil Collins has been working hard at getting the word out about homelessness by lending his weight to the Young & Homeless appeal with Centrepoint.
What does this have to do with Hyperbaric medicine you ask? Well in Collin’s interview on the Young & Homeless appeal in The Independent recently, he explained that the reason for his last minute absence at the Centrepoint Christmas gala, was due to an abscess on his foot that he’d developed from suffering with Type 2 Diabetes. Luckily for Collins, who lives in Miami for the majority of the year, his consultant put him straight into a hyperbaric chamber for a weeks worth of HBOT sessions, and the abscess quickly healed.
Diabetic ulcers, like the one on Collin’s foot, require a healthy, oxygenated wound bed to heal, so a lack of sufficient oxygen (hypoxia) in the wound bed slows or stops the normal healing process and in extreme cases, can lead to amputation.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy helps repair wounds and enhances healing by improving blood circulation, encouraging the formation of new capillary blood vessels and supplying more oxygen to tissue in the wound bed. Hyperbaric oxygen also helps kill the anaerobic bacteria that cause some of the worst infections in chronic diabetic wounds.
Being a wealthy celebrity who splits his time between Miami and Switzerland, Phil Collins obviously has access to the best possible healthcare and facilities that money can buy, and is looked after by physicians who are at the forefront of championing pioneering treatments for such conditions. Even though less is publicised about the profoundly positive effects of HBOT on diabetic leg ulcers in the UK, due to restrictions with NHS funding for treatment and a lack of clinical referrals from GP’s and consultants, it is still a viable, affordable and necessary option for many patients suffering from similar conditions throughout the UK and should be recognised as such.
For more information about the daily treatments we offer at our nationwide hyperbaric chambers, or to discuss funding and treatments options available to our patients, please call 01788 579 555 today or contact the doctor on doctor@oxygenhealing.co.uk.
Read the full Independent story here.
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