Safety Precautions
You are required to observe several safety precautions:
a) No cigarettes, matches, lighters, or other ignition sources are permitted inside the
chamber.
b) Skin care products, hair sprays, and cosmetics containing alcohol or petroleum based
materials may pose a hazard during treatment and should not be worn. They may be applied
immediately after a treatment.
c) No outside street clothing or shoes are permitted inside the treatment chamber. You
will change into special clothing provided by our staff after you arrive for the day.
d) Once in dive clothing, you must remain inside the building to prevent outside
contaminants from entering the chamber environment.
e) Please use the restroom prior to your treatment dive. Chamber toilet facilities are
very limited.
f) Watches (unless dive rated), partial dentures, contact lenses, hearing aids, wigs, and
other prosthetic devices must be removed and stored in your locker (or our lock box)
before treatment.
g) Newspapers and pens are not permitted. Pencils, magazines, and books are acceptable. We
have an assortment of reading materials available for your use during chamber treatments.
h) If you are a gurney patient, please wait for a medical attendant before moving about.
Treatment Schedules
Except for mild carbon monoxide poisoning and uncomplicated decompression sickness, most diagnoses require between 20 and 40 treatment dives to gain the maximum benefit from HBO. Your primary referring physician in consultation with our hyperbaric physician will determine the best treatment plan for your specific problem. Although the healing process begins with the first dive, you may not see any obvious changes for up to three weeks!! Also, since routine treatment dives are scheduled for Monday through Friday, it actually takes two weeks time for every 10 dives planned! Each dive takes approximately 2-1/2 hours, plus changing time, and wound care if needed. While this represents a significant investment of your time, the alternatives are often less desirable. If you must miss a treatment dive due to an unavoidable conflict, it is best to schedule that activity on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Sometimes a three-day period with no treatment dive is unavoidable, however a little advanced planning can frequently prevent that. If you must miss a treatment because of an emergency, please call us at (210) 536-3281 and let us know as soon as possible.