Frequently Asked Questions

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
Medical studies have shown that for some conditions 100 percent oxygen has beneficial effects when breathed in a chamber under higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, as this treatment is called, is a painless procedure that can have dramatic results in certain diseases. For example, when a wound does not heal because of insufficient blood supply, hyperbaric oxygen can increase blood vessel growth into the wound, and permit skin grafting or spontaneous healing. Hyperbaric therapy can be a treatment by itself, for example decompression illness in scuba divers or carbon monoxide poisoning, but for most conditions it is an adjunct to other care delivered by physicians and surgeons.

What is the hyperbaric chamber?
The hyperbaric chamber is a large steel room in which the air can be compressed to a pressure that is greater than normal. Most of our patients are treated at a pressure equivalent to two times normal atmospheric pressure. The chamber has port holes or small windows and is equipped with comfortable recliner chairs. To enhance patient comfort, music is played during treatments, which are usually provided in two-hour segments. Whenever the chamber is in use, medical personnel inside the chamber and the chamber operator outside stay in constant communication via headsets.

What types problems or illnesses are treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
The following medical conditions are treated almost daily in our chamber: chronic osteomyelitis, osteoradionecrosis, soft tissue radionecrosis, poorly healing wounds requiring preparation for skin grafting. Problems that require immediate hyperbaric oxygen therapy include carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene and some other similar infections that can destroy tissue, decompression sickness (commonly known as "the bends"), air embolism, and certain other rare infections and poisonings.

What should I do to prepare for my treatments in the hyperbaric chamber?
After referral by your doctor and evaluation by a hyperbaric medicine specialist you will be given detailed instructions. Briefly, you will be asked not to wear the following while in the chamber: hair oils, hair spray, perfumes, make-up, nylons (hose or panty hose), ointments, liniments, petroleum or Vaseline products, wigs or hair pieces, aftershave, synthetics (i.e. rayon, nylon, etc.), or salves. We also ask that you leave all valuables as we cannot be responsible for lost or stolen articles. Watches should not be worn in the chamber because they may break under the increased pressure. Because the therapy involves 100 percent oxygen, any form of smoking material, lighters or matches are prohibited in the chamber. Books, magazines, and writing pads are allowed in the chamber; newspapers and loose papers are not.

How will it feel?
The first few minutes of the dive, will be quite noisy. It will seem very warm at first, and then the temperature will be adjusted to a comfortable setting. You will feel the change in pressure in your ears (it's similar to the feeling you have in an airplane cabin during landing); otherwise it will be unnoticeable. To equalize the pressure and avoid a feeling of fullness in your ears, you will be instructed how to blow air into the space behind the eardrum to equalize the pressure. By holding your nose and attempting to blow through it, or simply swallowing, air can be allowed to enter the middle dar cavity via the eustachian tube. It is only necessary to do this during the first few minutes of the treatment. The remainder of your treatment should be a time for you to read, sleep or just relax. Patients of all ages generally tolerate the treatments very well.

Are there any side effects?
Occasionally some patients experience visual changes after several treatments that cause them to become more nearsighted. This is usually only temporary and should disappear three to four months after the treatments stop. Other side effects are extremely rare.

What if I am a smoker?
To receive the maximum benefit from your hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients are encouraged not to smoke during the course of therapy. Smoking (even one cigarette) causes blood vessels to constrict, which decreases the blood and oxygen supply to tissue, counteracting the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen. Patients who need help to stop smoking benefit from Duke's highly successful smoking cessation program.

What will my treatment schedule be like?
Depending on the nature of their illness and their progress patients with wound healing problems usually require about 40 treatments. Patients with acute diseases such as decompression illness or carbon monoxide poisoning usually need only 1-2 treatments. Treatments are scheduled regularly, Monday through Saturday. No treatments are scheduled on Sunday or holidays. Emergency treatments are administered at any time, 365 days per year.

Where is the chamber located?
The hyperbaric chamber is located in the Center For Hyperbaric Medicine And Environmental Physiology in Duke Hospital South, part of Duke University Medical Center.

For further information
If you have any questions or need further information, please call us at (919) 684-6726 and ask to speak with the physician on call or one of our nurses, or write us at:

Center For Hyperbaric Medicine And Environmental Physiology
Box 3823 Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina 27710

If you require hyperbaric treatment we look forward to working with you, and sincerely want to make your course of treatment at Duke as pleasant as possible.

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