Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
An evidence-based treatment that supports healing with high-concentration oxygen in a pressure chamber, for indications approved by the Ministry of Health.
To find out more about Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
What is this treatment?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves breathing pure oxygen at intervals while inside a pressurised chamber. It is an evidence-based medical treatment whose effectiveness is supported by numerous scientific studies. By raising oxygen levels in the blood and tissues, HBOT gives good results in many conditions.
Treatment takes place in a pressure chamber, where you breathe oxygen at intervals under high pressure, with the programme tailored to the cause of your condition and your overall health. The oxygen you breathe increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in your blood, so your tissues are supplied not only by red blood cells but also by dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen can spread easily over longer distances through tissue and is readily used there. This helps oxygenate tissue with a poor blood supply and helps wounds heal.
High oxygen levels (hyperoxia) also reduce swelling (oedema) in tissue, making it easier for blood and oxygen to reach it. HBOT also strengthens the body's ability to fight infection and helps antibiotics work more effectively against bacteria. The pressure helps shrink, or even eliminate, air bubbles that form in conditions such as decompression sickness, and smaller bubbles are easier for the body to clear. HBOT is also important in carbon monoxide poisoning (for example from a faulty stove or gas heater): it helps release carbon monoxide from blood cells and repair the damage this poison causes.
Today, at specialist private centres, all patients with conditions on the SGK (Turkey's Social Security Institution) indication list can benefit from this treatment. We provide a 24-hour service for emergencies and work in coordination with 112 (Turkey's emergency number).
Who is it for?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used for many conditions affecting the skin, the tissue beneath it and bone, where oxygen supply to the tissues is reduced or lost altogether. These include chronic (non-healing) wounds, diabetic foot infections (foot wounds in people with diabetes), avascular necrosis (death of bone tissue due to poor blood supply), chronic osteomyelitis (bone infection) and burns. HBOT has also been shown to be effective for patients with sudden hearing loss or sudden loss of vision.
In many other conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning and wounds that develop after radiotherapy, HBOT works by increasing tissue oxygen levels. In decompression sickness ("the bends") and gas embolism, the high pressure also shrinks gas bubbles, which has an important effect.
Research is ongoing into many further conditions.
When is it used?
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Sudden hearing loss
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Sudden loss of vision (retinal artery occlusion)
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Delayed wound healing (diabetic and non-diabetic)
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Osteonecrosis
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Radiation necrosis
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Compromised skin flaps and grafts
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Chronic osteomyelitis
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Acute osteomyelitis of the skull, sternum and vertebrae
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Crush injuries, compartment syndrome and other acute traumatic ischaemia
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Thermal burns
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Decompression sickness (the bends)
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Air or gas embolism
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Carbon monoxide or cyanide poisoning, acute smoke inhalation
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Gas gangrene
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Necrotising soft tissue infections (subcutaneous tissue, muscle, fascia)
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Anoxic encephalopathy
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Brain abscess
How does the treatment work?
- 1
Direct effect of pressure
Under high pressure, air and gas bubbles in the body shrink. This is critical in conditions such as decompression sickness (the bends) and gas embolism.
- 2
Effect of dissolved oxygen
The amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood rises roughly 15-fold. Tissue oxygenation improves, wounds heal faster, the body's defences against microorganisms are strengthened, and toxic gases that block cellular respiration are cleared more easily.
Frequently asked questions
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an evidence-based medical treatment. You breathe pure oxygen (O2), either continuously or at intervals, inside a hyperbaric chamber (pressure chamber) where the pressure is higher than the normal atmospheric pressure around us.
By raising oxygen levels in the blood and tissues, this treatment achieves good results in many conditions.
In which situations is hyperbaric oxygen therapy used?
The main effects of HBOT on the body work in two ways.
The first is a mechanical effect caused by the increase in pressure. The second comes from the rise in oxygen levels in the blood and tissues.
HBOT also reduces swelling (oedema) and increases the production of many substances involved in wound healing. It supports the cells that help defend the body and stops some bacteria from multiplying.
Which conditions is hyperbaric oxygen therapy mainly used for?
- Decompression sickness (the bends)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning (for example from a faulty stove)
- Sudden hearing loss
- Sudden vision loss
- Gas gangrene
- Anoxic encephalopathy (brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen, for various reasons)
- Avascular necrosis (death of bone tissue)
- Bone infections
- Chronic (non-healing) wounds
- Diabetic foot infections
- Wounds caused by blocked blood vessels
- Burns
- Compromised skin grafts and flaps (tissue patches)
- Wounds caused by radiotherapy (radiation treatment)
- Crush and avulsion injuries from accidents
In addition to all these conditions, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for wounds and tissue loss after cosmetic Botox and filler injections, surgery and hair transplant procedures.
Sudden hearing loss
Sudden hearing loss (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) is hearing loss of 30 dB or more across at least three consecutive frequencies on an audiogram (hearing test), developing over less than three days.
The exact cause is not known. Possible causes that have been suggested include problems with the blood vessels and circulation, infections and immune system disorders.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is thought to improve hearing that has been damaged by ischaemia (reduced blood supply) by increasing oxygen in the inner ear. HBOT also aims to improve the metabolism of the inner ear by reducing inflammation and swelling (oedema) and suppressing autoimmune damage. The goal is to prevent permanent damage to the inner ear.
Good results have been shown in patients who start treatment within the first month after sudden hearing loss.
The earlier treatment starts, the better the chance of success.
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