For many years pure oxygen has been utilized as a treatment in hospitals and doctors offices, and this treatment often shows some very positive results. The procedure is relaxing as well as being non-invasive to patients who frequently are also suffering serious injuries or life-threatening disease. However, there are risks which must be understood while in the stage of hyperbaric facility planning.
There will be codes and probably a license of some sort just to be able to store large quantities of pure oxygen on-site. These codes may well vary from state-to-state due to a variety of reasons. Whatever rules individual states must follow, it is due to the combustibility and explosive quality of oxygen canisters.
This particular treatment has been used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning as well as incidents of poor wound healing. It has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of decompression illness resulting from rising to the surface too quickly while deep sea diving. Anyone who lives in an area where diving is a popular activity has probably these chambers inside the local acute care center.
Possibly one of the more dangerous risks associated with it is the confidence that people put in this treatment to cure many diseases for which the FDA has not recognized it as being effective. A quick Internet search reveals claims that it can cure everything from cancer to diabetes, depression, and even autism. These claims have not yet been proven, as it is still in the research stage at this time.
Patients and many doctors regard this procedure as benign and basically beneficial because it does improve the way the patient feels. When one is facing a potentially life-threatening disease, any treatment which improves a symptom can be viewed as showing promise. Unfortunately this can cause some patients to think they should resort to the chamber and cease other life-saving treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.
Too few of the regular patients are aware of the side-effects that have been attributed to this particular therapy. Probably the most disturbing side-effect is the sudden onset of seizures effecting nearly one in ten patients who undergo treatment. Naturally, this therapy is never recommended for a patient who suffers from a seizure condition to begin with, and other patients are now being told that, after ninety minutes in the chamber, they must spend at least ten minutes outside it breathing room air.
Oddly enough, temporary near-sightedness, also known as myopia, can occur as a side-effect of multiple long sessions in the chamber. By temporary, this generally means literally weeks or months of lessened visual acuity, potentially requiring corrective lenses which may have to be changed frequently. This comes as a real shock to patients who have had their vision corrected with Lasik.
An even more serious side-effect is the potential for permanent damage to the inner ear of patients who spend long spans of time in the chamber on a regular basis. This vertigo can cause any patient to fall, but especially those who are over the age of 65 or have terminal illness. Currently there is no system in place to track the hours of chamber-time a patient receives from various facilities, and there are no laws restricting it either.
There will be codes and probably a license of some sort just to be able to store large quantities of pure oxygen on-site. These codes may well vary from state-to-state due to a variety of reasons. Whatever rules individual states must follow, it is due to the combustibility and explosive quality of oxygen canisters.
This particular treatment has been used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning as well as incidents of poor wound healing. It has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of decompression illness resulting from rising to the surface too quickly while deep sea diving. Anyone who lives in an area where diving is a popular activity has probably these chambers inside the local acute care center.
Possibly one of the more dangerous risks associated with it is the confidence that people put in this treatment to cure many diseases for which the FDA has not recognized it as being effective. A quick Internet search reveals claims that it can cure everything from cancer to diabetes, depression, and even autism. These claims have not yet been proven, as it is still in the research stage at this time.
Patients and many doctors regard this procedure as benign and basically beneficial because it does improve the way the patient feels. When one is facing a potentially life-threatening disease, any treatment which improves a symptom can be viewed as showing promise. Unfortunately this can cause some patients to think they should resort to the chamber and cease other life-saving treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.
Too few of the regular patients are aware of the side-effects that have been attributed to this particular therapy. Probably the most disturbing side-effect is the sudden onset of seizures effecting nearly one in ten patients who undergo treatment. Naturally, this therapy is never recommended for a patient who suffers from a seizure condition to begin with, and other patients are now being told that, after ninety minutes in the chamber, they must spend at least ten minutes outside it breathing room air.
Oddly enough, temporary near-sightedness, also known as myopia, can occur as a side-effect of multiple long sessions in the chamber. By temporary, this generally means literally weeks or months of lessened visual acuity, potentially requiring corrective lenses which may have to be changed frequently. This comes as a real shock to patients who have had their vision corrected with Lasik.
An even more serious side-effect is the potential for permanent damage to the inner ear of patients who spend long spans of time in the chamber on a regular basis. This vertigo can cause any patient to fall, but especially those who are over the age of 65 or have terminal illness. Currently there is no system in place to track the hours of chamber-time a patient receives from various facilities, and there are no laws restricting it either.
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