Liberty Hospital's two state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen chambers are just additional examples of our high-tech care. High-dose oxygen reverses conditions that are preventing the body from healing itself. The treatments are approved by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society for many strongly supported medical indications, such as:

• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Wound healing, such as wounds from radiation or diabetes
• Decompression illness ("The Bends")
• Cerebral gas embolism
• Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency
• Necrotizing fascitis
• Crush injury
• Compartment syndrome

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides high-dose oxygen - as much as 23 times more oxygen than the body normally receives. This directly reverses tissue hypoxia (low oxygen). It also reduces swelling, removes excess nitrogen, and removes carbon monoxide or cyanide from the blood. It increases collagen production, capillary growth and the effectiveness of certain antibiotics while lessening the effect of bacterial toxins and reducing scars in healing tissue.

Patients receiving treatments lie on an adjustable cot and are sealed inside a large, clear acrylic chamber that pressurizes with 100 percent oxygen. Each hyperbaric therapy treatment lasts approximately two hours. Most patients must take daily treatments to receive the full benefit of the therapy. Treatments stop when the patient's physician believes tissues have returned to normal.

Before a patient can be considered for hyperbaric treatment, he or she must have a referral from a physician and must undergo a thorough evaluation. Medicare and most insurance companies cover the therapy.