Your doctor may suggest hyperbaric oxygen therapy if you have one of the conditions approved by Health Canada and OHIP.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a well-established medical treatment and is recognized by Health Canada as an effective treatment for the following conditions.

• Embolisms (air or gas bubbles in the bloodstream, which may travel to the brain or lungs)
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Gas gangrene
• Crush injury, Compartment syndrome and other acute traumatic problems where blood flow is reduced or cut off (e.g., frostbite)
• Decompression sickness (the bends)
• Enhancement of healing for wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers
• Exceptional blood loss (anemia)
• Intracranial abscess (an accumulation of pus in the brain)
• Necrotizing soft tissue infections (flesh-eating disease)
• Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
• Delayed radiation injury (e.g., radiation burns that develop after cancer therapy)
• Skin grafts and flaps that are not healing well
• Thermal burns (e.g., from fire or electrical sources)
• Sudden hearing loss

The Ontario health insurance plan otherwise known as OHIP fully insures all of the above conditions for treatment up to the limit of the guidelines which are defined by CUHMA and the UHMS. This means this is a free service for most Ontario residents.

In HBOT, a patient enters our hyperbaric chamber, mono or multi-place, and is exposed to 100% oxygen while the atmospheric pressure is increased. There are many different ways of administering HBOT. Some patients receive treatment five times a week for 90 minutes per session. The total number of sessions varies based on the response of the wound to treatment. Patients may receive between 10 and several dozen sessions in total.

Want more information?