A Deep Dive into Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
By Daniel Todd, MD, FACS, of Midwest Hyperbarics
As an otolaryngologist, I have been using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for the past 30 years, primarily in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer. But the advent of small and powerful oxygen generators and compressors has paved the way in recent years for the development of powerful HBOT chambers for home use.
My renewed interest in the many other applications for HBOT started after my wife was asked to help a friend get in and out of her home chamber. The friend had experienced remarkable results with low-pressure HBOT treatments at home for her ulcerative colitis.
After my wife tried the chamber herself and had positive results for her fibromyalgia and neuropathies, she informed me that we were buying one. Before you knew it, we had a constant stream of friends and family coming through our home "clinic" to treat various issues with HBOT.
The Start of Midwest Hyperbarics
At the same time, my stepdaughter, Jada Hieb, was just finishing her DNP training. With such clear demand for HBOT and a new professional in the family to work with, it seemed like the perfect time to open our outpatient facility, Midwest Hyperbarics, in Sioux Falls. Jada, who has a background in cardiology, has an overall understanding of both the medical and business side of HBOT that has been invaluable in our clinic.
Because many patients are claustrophic in monoplace chambers, we also invested in a three-seat walk-in chamber. All multiplace walk-in chambers are compressed with medical grade room air while the patient breathes 100% oxygen through a mask or hood, nearly eliminating the risk of fire or other types of accidents that have been reported in some other facilities. We have also reconfigured our monoplace medical grade chambers to operate this way because of the safety benefits.
Based on our positive experience with home chambers, we also elected to sell hardshell monoplace chambers for home use. At a maximum of 2 ATA (Atmospheres Absolute), these chambers hit the "sweet spot" of both efficacy and safety and are ideal for people with chronic conditions who want ongoing therapy at home.
Treatment Applications:
Hearing loss
After using HBOT for several patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, I am making it my personal mission to raise awareness of how early diagnosis and treatment can be a game changer in this condition.
Many insurance plans cover HBOT for this application, which is recommended along with early steroids by the American Academy of Otolaryngology. At Midwest Hyperbarics, our onsite microscope allows us to place topical steroids in the middle ear, when indicated, as well as to perform myringotomies or place tubes, when necessary.
Nervous system injuries
HBOT therapy really shines in acute neurologic injury such as concussion. Just a few treatments and the post concussive symptoms disappear. We assume that this works much the same way for concussion as it does for early hearing loss. Post stroke patients with idiopathic cranial neuropathies such as facial paralysis will certainly see benefit, as well.
Post-Surgical Recovery
I have personally seen the benefits of HBOT in facilitating recovery after surgery or trauma. A colleague underwent two total knee replacements at two different times, one with post-operative HBOT and one without. Although it is anecdotal, my colleague recovered in a fraction of the time with the HBOT. HBOT literally squeezes the edema of the affected area with each session and oxygenates the inflamed operative site. Professional athletes use this therapy regularly, with or without injury.
Longevity
Netflix “Don’t Die” personality Bryan Johnson finally got around to purchasing a home HBOT chamber and found the benefits outperformed everything else he had tried. He shares his results in a YouTube video entitled “This machine made me younger”.
Wound Care
Wound care seems to be the predominant indication for HBOT. Poor circulation, often due to diabetes, radiation, or just bad luck, can lead to very poor wound healing. Working with vascular surgeons and/or podiatrists to avoid the next amputation can be both challenging and rewarding. Our newest DNP, Jessica Freudenthal, has a passion for wound care and has helped start a wound care center in the past. We are looking forward to having her help us develop this area of our practice.
How HBOT Works
The fascinating physiology of pressure can be illustrated by the paper “Life without blood” [Boerema, 1960] where researchers replaced the red blood cells with serum in piglets, which then lived with a hemoglobin of zero in a 3 ATA chamber with no morbidity.
The pressure bypasses the need for red blood cells to carry the oxygen, because it compresses it directly into the serum and tissues. This is what allows us to oxygenate and heal tissue that is not getting a good blood supply. Which basically describes nearly every injury known to man.
For more information on home HBOT chambers available through Midwest ENT: Midwesthyperbarics.com/sales
For a complete referral guide with a list of insurance indications for HBOT: midwesthyperbaric.com/referral guide