Indications For HBOT

Indications for HBOT

“Indication” is a medical term describing a condition for which a specific treatment is appropriate. This differs greatly from the description ascribed to “licencing” within the N.H.S. in the UK. Conditions indicated for HBOT and those licenced by the N.H.S. don’t resemble each other. The N.H.S. licences and commissions the use of HBOT for a very limited set of conditions. Despite this, the globally accepted position on indications, as accepted by other national health authorities around the world, is considerable. Described below are the two primary lists of indicated conditions. They are presented as the accepted indications laid down by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (U.H.M.S.) and the additional list of “open label” indications subscribed to by thousands of HBOT units worldwide. We aim to offer therapy for all of these conditions. Indeed any condition that would benefit from increased oxygenation.

The international governing association for hyperbaric medicine, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS), recognise the following indications for the commissioning and use of HBOT. They guide most health authorities around the world in this regard.

The following are approved and accepted globally as the 14 conditions benefiting from HBOT. Most health departments worldwide accept these with perhaps the exception of the NHS, who only commission for decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism and chronic carbon monoxide poisoning in rare cases, which are all emergency interventions which we will not aim treat in phase one of the organisations development. Phase 2 may include emergency referral treatments of both divers and serious conditions. The international governing association for hyperbaric medicine, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS), recognise the following indications for the commissioning and use of HBOT. They guide most health authorities around the world in this regard.

• Air or Gas Embolism

• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

• Clostridial Myositis and Myonecrosis (Gas Gangrene)

• Crush Injury, Compartment Syndrome and Other Acute Traumatic Ischemia’s

• Decompression Sickness

• Arterial Insufficiency

• Severe Anaemia

• Intracranial Abscess

• Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections

• Osteomyelitis (Refractory)

• Delayed Radiation Injury (Soft Tissue and Bony Necrosis)

• Compromised Grafts and Flaps

• Acute Thermal Burn Injury

• Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (New! approved on October 8, 2011 by the UHMS Board of Directors)

This list is constantly evolving as indicated by new added approved conditions. New conditions which may benefit are constantly researched and added to this list accordingly. The list would have, at one time, been only one condition, IE decompression sickness in divers.

Additional “Off Label” or “Open Label” Indications

The designation “off-label” often has negative connotations associated with it. Quite the contrary though. it simply means they are currently considered “complementary therapy” or simply, “therapy” as opposed to being assigned the legal definition of a medical treatment. For example, physiotherapy enjoys the same differentiation enabling practitioners to operate outside the framework for hospital and clinics and operate as therapy centers instead.

The following list is a list of conditions simply not yet on the above list. These conditions are constantly being reviewed, researched and studies show great benefit from the administration of HBOT. The term “Off Label” simply means outside of what the original indications for a specific therapy may have been. In the case of HBOT it’s original indication was only decompression sickness in divers and therefore anything beyond that could really be termed off label. Including the “on label” conditions above. It is worth noting that the conditions above as accepted by the UHMS were too once considered off label or open label.

Wound healing
Accelerated healing
Problematic wounds
Sports injuries
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Other poisoning and detoxification
Post-surgical recovery
Pre surgical preconditioning
Cancer
Multiple Sclerosis
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
Anaesthesia Injury
Autoimmune Disorders
Arthritis
Birth Injury
Brain Aneurysm
Brain Injury Cause by Substance Abuse
Brain Injury from Chemotherapy
Brain, head an neck injury from Radiation
Central Retinal Artery Occlusion
Concussion
Autism
Cerebral Palsy
Dementia, (including vascular dementia)
Chronic Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Decompression Sickness
Arterial Gas Embolism
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Depression caused by Brain Injury
Fibromyalgia
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Inflammatory Conditions
Lyme Disease
Mitochondrial Disorders
Mould Toxicity
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Near hanging
Peripheral Neuropathy
Post-Concussion Syndrome
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome
Shaken Baby Syndrome
Spinal Cord Compression Injury
Tinnitus
Toxic Brain Injury
and more…

In short, any condition that can benefit from greater oxygen saturation in tissue will likely benefit from HBOT. In fact, it would be surprising if it did not. Many conditions are a cause of inflammatory response and HBOT is a great anti-inflammatory.

HBOT up-regulates the natural repair and rebuild processes in the body simply by altering the environment. It is non-invasive and virtually risk free.

Disease can also be considered injury to a degree. Microscopic injury, which too, benefits from increased oxygenation and heals in similar ways to ordinary injury.

HBOT is also a strong anti-bacterial and anti-viral for those pathogens that require an anoxic, (low oxygen), environment to grow. Hyper-oxygenation creates an environment that these pathogens cannot thrive in. This includes cancer cell growth and genesis.

HBOT can benefit in many other ways also. Research suggest it is effective for anti-ageing, memory stimulation, skin elasticity, other symptoms associated with ageing, sleep disorders, weight loss, obesity, type 2 diabetes management, sorts injuries, infection and many more.

In short, HBOT is a simple, non-invasive and safe therapeutic modality which can benefit and up-regulate the oxidative process in the body which is the basis for healing and cellular life.

HBOT is nowadays considered a therapy no longer just for divers

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