What to Look for in a Hyperbaric Oxygen Center

We put together our top four things you should look for in a hyperbaric oxygen center: chamber type, staff requirements, experience and a research-based facility will ensure you get the most out of hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

Hyperbaric oxygen chamber type matters:

Hyperbaric oxygen is given in hard-sided chambers, not soft (blow-up) chambers. These hard-sided chambers make it possible to go to deeper pressures and to flow in 100% oxygen, both of which are crucial for getting the full benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Make sure the center you are going to has hard-sided chambers. All of the current research in hyperbaric oxygen therapy is done in hard-sided chambers. The chambers at Healing with Hyperbarics are Sechrist monoplace chambers. Sechrist Industries is the world leader in hyperbaric medicine, which means we bring the best hyperbaric technology to our patients.

Ensure the staff is certified in hyperbaric medicine:

First and foremost, you want to make sure there is a medical doctor, trained in hyperbaric medicine, on staff at all times. Hyperbaric oxygen treatments are required to be ordered by a physician, similar to a prescription medication. Therefore, it is essential that there is a doctor present at the clinic you are going to. We have a full team of doctors at our clinics, led by our founder Dr. Daphne Denham. Dr. Denham is a board-certified general surgeon who has practiced wound care and hyperbaric medicine for more than a decade. Dr. Allan Luistro has been the medical director at our North Dakota location for two years now and brings decades of experience in family medicine to our clinic. The doctor oversees all of the treatments, but a hyperbaric technician is present chamber-side throughout the duration of your treatment. All hyperbaric technicians are required to have an EMT-minimum certification as well as a hyperbaric technician certification course. All of the hyperbaric technicians at our clinic are EMTs or paramedics in addition to the hyperbaric technician certification. We also have a safety director, who has done additional training on the safety of the equipment and facility, to make sure everything runs as safely as possible for all of our patients.

Experience is everything:

The hyperbaric center you are going to should have experience in the industry. The more experience a center has, the more knowledge they have gained taking care of a variety of patients for multiple different indications. At Healing with Hyperbarics, we have over 15 years of experience in hyperbaric medicine.

Research-based clinic:

Typically, clinical practices are 10-15 years behind the research. This study showed a time lag of 17 years in translating research into practice. Being a research-based clinic means we are at the forefront of the hyperbaric industry. We know the newest indications for hyperbaric medicine, and being an independent clinic means we can treat more than the FDA-approved indications. We continue to do research in all aspects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, with a strong focus on concussion research. We believe that hyperbaric oxygen is the best treatment for concussions, and we won’t stop until it becomes the standard of care for all head injuries.

Knowing what to look for in a hyperbaric oxygen center will help give you the confidence you need to choose the clinic that is right for you. We want you to have exceptional care throughout your healing journey, which is why we promise to meet the highest standards you should expect from your care facility.

By: Menley Denham, Certified Hyperbaric Technician