Pressure isn?t always a bad thing.
Used since the 1930s to help divers recover from the effects of undersea pressure, hyperbaric “decompression” chambers were found to aid wound healing in the 1950s during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, said Dr. Daniel John, director of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Unit at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
“People who worked at the bottom of the river healed a lot faster than people who worked the high steel portions of the bridge,” he said.
At GBMC, the nurses and doctors try to make patients? often-daily visits as pleasant as possible. They know going into a confined space for two hours at a time can be stressful for some.
The team of five nurses recently reached a milestone by being completely nationally certified to handle all aspects of pressure therapy.
“Having all of our hyperbaric nurses earn this certification is the latest step we?ve taken to ensure we are delivering the best care available for our patients,” said Dr. Peter Allinson, hyperbaric physician at GBMC.
Patients breathe 100 percent oxygen while being compressed up to three times the weight of the Earth?s atmosphere, John said. Periodically, they change the mix to regular room air to avoid potentially toxic effects of pure oxygen.
“One of my jobs is to identify the symptoms [of oxygen toxicity] and stop it before it happens,” nurse Beverly Donohue said. Symptoms including nausea, vomiting, seizures and restricted vision vary by person and can be remedied in seconds as nitrogen-rich air relieves nerves and tissue overwhelmed by oxygen.
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is indicated for chronic ulcers, like those of diabetics or cancer survivors ravaged by chemotherapy and radiation, as well as skin grafts, flesh-eating viruses and the flesh-destroying bites of certain spiders.
The treatment drives oxygen into areas starved by damaged or restricted small blood vessels, allowing the body to begin healing otherwise abandoned tissue, John said.
“Mybladder problem is three years ago. My bladder is 100 percent,” said Roger Redden, 74, a retired lawyer from Baltimore and prostate cancer survivor, as he settled down to watch the 1953 war classic “The Cruel Sea” through the glass wall of the chamber.
Redden said he was skeptical at first but is now a believer. He is returning to the HBO unit to treat a separate internal bleeding issue caused by the same cancer therapy.
“I was really surprised when I heard what they were going to do and that it would work, he said.”
