Decompression and Hyperbaric Medical Chambers have been used to treat a variety of medical conditions, injuries and disease for more than 100 years. It is most commonly known for treating decompression sickness, or ‘The Bends’ and the first clinical use dates back to the mid 1800’s. It can also help treat a range of other conditions including series infections, air bubbles in your blood vessels, as well as wounds that will not heal due to diabetes or radiation injuries.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber where the air pressure has been increased to three times higher than normal air pressure. These conditions allow for your lungs to gather more oxygen than they would at normal air pressure.
Damage in any way to the human body cannot heal properly without appropriate oxygen levels in the tissue. Of the air we breathe, only 21% is oxygen and this small amount is transported throughout the body only by red blood cells, in many cases this is not enough to kick start the healing process. The oxygen absorbed in the pressurised environment of a HBOT chamber is carried by the blood throughout your body which helps to fight bacteria and stimulate the release of substances which are vital in the healing process.
Our hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers are specifically designed to assist in the treatment of serious ailments and injuries. These include diabetic conditions, open wounds, multiple sclerosis (MS), sporting injuries, burns and many more.
We are experienced in the design, manufacture and distribution of medical hyperbaric equipment. Our expert team has in-depth knowledge of this technology and has provided a variety of systems for clinics and hospitals the world over. SMP’s range of HBOT products was created with the user and operator in mind. Through collating years’ worth of feedback notes and our ongoing development programme, we are pleased to offer the first ever user-friendly HBOT system.
SMP has successfully met the needs of many clients within the medical industry. Our expert team is ready to discuss your project. All of our hyperbaric oxygen chambers are designed and constructed for ease of mobility, including on-site installation. All you have to do is choose your size, colour and any extras you require. We will do the rest.
The systems have been tested by Lloyds register of Shipping and conform to HSE Guidelines. They will also comply with BS EN 14931:2006 Multi Placed Chambers for Hyperbaric Therapy, Performance, Safety Requirements and Testing. Designed in compliance with the requirements of PD5500 Cat 1, BS EN 13445 and ASME PVHO. Design approvals and constructed under survey by Lloyds Register. Supported by essential safety requirements of PED 2014/68/EU and CE certified to the Medical Device Directive 93/42/EEC.
For more information, or if you’re unsure which products would best suit your requirements, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
In many of the larger capacity hyperbaric chambers, the patients and treatment staff inside the hyperbaric chamber will normally breathe 100% pure oxygen through either a face oxygen mask or an oxygen hood. Some oxygen masks are designed to take the exhaust gas that the patients breathe out outside the chamber. The oxygen masks are normally attached to an exhaust gas manifold inside the chamber that allows the exhaust gas to be extracted outside of the hyperbaric chamber.
Throughout the hyperbaric treatment, patients inside the hyperbaric chamber breathe 100% pure oxygen in order to maximise the effectiveness of the hyperbaric treatment. They do have regular “air breaks” so as to minimise the risk of oxygen toxicity. Breathing pure oxygen for prolonged periods at elevated partial pressure can be poisonous to the human body and result in cell damage and death, with effects most often seen in the central nervous system, lungs and eyes.
The exhaled gas must be removed from the chamber to prevent the build up of oxygen which can prevent a serious fire risk. Treatment staff inside the chamber will also breathe pure oxygen to reduce their risk of decompression sickness. The hyperbaric chamber pressure is increased by opening valves allowing high pressure air to enter from storage cylinders, which are filled by an air compressor.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was originally developed for the treatment of diving accidents, involving bubbles of gas in the cell tissues, such as decompression sickness and gas embolism. Hyperbaric chambers are effective at treating conditions such as decompression sickness by increasing pressure, which in turn reduces the size of the gas bubbles and improved blood transportation to the body tissues. High concentrations of oxygen in the tissues help keep oxygen starved tissues alive whilst at the same time removing the nitrogen from the gas bubbles, making them smaller until it is made up entirely of oxygen. This oxygen is then in turn re-absorbed into the body. Once all of these gas bubbles have been eliminated, the pressure inside the hyperbaric chamber is reduced back to nomal atmospheric pressure levels.
Emergency hyperbaric oxygen therapy for divers with decomression sickness, follows treatment schedules laid out in treatment tables. The majority of cases employ a recompression to 2.8 bars which equates to a depth pressure of 18 metres. Treatment lasts around 5 hours with the patient breathing pure oxygen. For serious cases resulting from high depth dives, hyperbaric chambers capable of pressures upto 8 bar or higher. The standard hyperbaric diving chambers that we manufacture are rated for pressures up to 10 bar which equates to a depth of 100 metres.
Our friendly and knowledgeable team is on-hand to provide help. Contact us today.
Phone +44 (0)1772 687775
Email enquiries@smp-ltd.co.uk