Evergreen Park, Illinois

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. It is used to treat various medical conditions by enhancing the body's natural healing processes through the inhalation of oxygen at levels higher than normal atmospheric pressure.

HBOT provides one or more of the following effects: advanced wound healing increased oxygen delivery to injured tissue, improved infection control, increased mirco blood vessel formation and preservation of damged tissues brought about by radiation injury.

How it works

The air we breathe contains 21 percent oxygen. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides 100 percent oxygen. The “hyperbaric,” or high pressure, dose of oxygen offers distinct therapeutic benefits and can be used to treat a variety of conditions. It may be the primary treatment for some disorders, but is often combined with antibiotics and other forms of wound care treatment.

You will breathe 100 percent oxygen when you are placed in a comfortable hyperbaric unit. Our staff then pressurizes the chamber to your individual needs. The therapy greatly increases the amount of oxygen delivered to body tissues by your blood; however, the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen result from an oxygen-enriched blood to the healing tissue.

Treatments are individualized and based  on your needs. You may require 20 to 40 treatments for maximum benefit. Your OSF Little Company of Mary hyperbaric medicine team will discuss your treatment plan with you before therapy begins. The exact number of treatments will depend on your response to the therapy. Outpatient therapy is once a day, five times a week.

What to expect with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

We want you to feel as comfortable possible. While inside the chamber, you can listen to music, watch TV or nap through the therapy. During parts of the treatment you may sense fullness in your ears – similar to when you’re flying in an airplane or driving down a mountain – as your eardrums respond to pressure changes.
Prior to treatment, you will be taught several easy methods to avoid ear discomfort. So lie back, relax and enjoy a comfortable treatment at our Center.

Side effects

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy usually has no side effects. Some patients report “cracking” in their ears between treatments. This can be relieved the same way ears are cleared of pressure changes during treatment. 

On rare occasions, patients may develop temporary changes in eyesight. In these cases, any altered vision usually returns to pretreatment levels within six to eight weeks after treatment ends. 

Other potential, even more rare risk of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy are pneumothroax and seizures. This will be discussed with you before you agree to therapy.

Preparing for therapy

We will discuss the specific required preparations with you before treatment. Some of these include:

No Smoking
Tobacco products constrict blood vessels, limit blood and oxygen delivery to tissues and conteract the effects of HBOT.

Avoid alcohol

List all medications
Some medications change your body’s response to oxygen, so it is very important that you give your OSF Little Company hyperbaric medicine team a complete list of the medications you are taking.

Delay due to illness
Patients who experience cold or flu symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, or generalized body aches) should immediately notify a hyperbaric staff member. These symptoms may require a temporary delay in your treatment schedule.

Clothing is provided for treatment.
We will provide you with 100 percent cotton garments to wear during therapy. Also, personal items are not permitted in the hyperbaric therapy unit.

These items include:

We will ask you to remove dentures, partial plates and hearing aids. We also may ask you to remove contact lenses. For your safety, please do not bring valuables to the Center.

Download Hyperbaric Therapy Brochure