What Happens During A Typical 'Dive'
Hyperbaric treatments themselves are painless, but do take time, and are
pretty boring! You should bring something to do during your treatment such as reading or a
small handi-craft to help pass the time. We keep a good supply of magazines on hand.
Newspapers may not be taken into the chamber as the ink becomes hazardous under pressure.
At the beginning and the end of your treatment, you may feel a mild pressure in your ears
while the chamber is being pressurized or returning to sea level. Our personnel will work
closely with you so that you become familiar with an effective way to equalize this
pressure. The sensation is the same as you experience when flying in an airplane or space
shuttle. If you can easily clear your ears in an aircraft, you should not have any
difficulty in the chamber. If you do have difficulty, let the hyperbaric team know so that
special precautions may be taken. On rare occasions someone may have recurrent
difficulties getting to treatment depth. In those cases, a minor procedure will be
performed at your main hospital, taking only a few minutes using local anesthetic, to
place small ventilation tubes in the eardrum. Once this is done, there should be no
further difficulties.
After dressing in our chamber clothes (handsome royal blue jump suits, or glistening
Durette Gold), a rubber neck ring will be applied (fits like a turtleneck), and you will
take your seat in the chamber. You are required to remain in your assigned seat during the
dive so that the inside chamber attendant can properly monitor your progress. Once the
door is closed, a safety checklist is completed, and the dive begins. You will notice the
mild sensation of pressure in the ears, and the temperature will rise as the air is
compressed. There is a noticeable rushing of air as the dive progresses, and ear muffs are
available should you find the noise too loud. If you experience any difficulty clearing
your ears, have sinus pain, nausea, or other problems, simply notify the inside attendant
by raising your hand. He/she will request the chamber operator to stop the descent, and
will show you several methods to help you clear the problem. Although the chamber is air
conditioned, during the descent (7 minutes) the air temperature typically reaches 89 - 90
degrees at 87% humidity! This rapidly returns to normal once the treatment depth of 45
feet is reached.
Because the oxygen you are breathing is a dry gas, humidity is added before it enters your
breathing hood. If you find the breathing mixture too "heavy", decreasing the
humidity may help. If you find yourself "drying out", drinking extra fluids on
your air breaks may help. Water is always available in the chamber. Crackers, coffee, soft
drinks, juice, are provided on request during your second air break (about 70 minutes into
the dive).
Medical Documentation: Photographs
During your treatments, medical photographs of your wound may be taken on a regular basis to document your progress and to are essential to facilitate our weekly medical planning and review meetings. You have our assurance that these photographs are only used for medical purposes, and that all of your personal medical information is maintained with your confidentiality in mind.