Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: An Evidence-Based Primer for Emergency Physicians

Abstract

Background

Hyperbaric medicine is a subspecialty that many emergency physicians may not encounter frequently in their daily practice. As such, we hope to provide a review, where we present an overview of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, complications from the therapy, and a description of how the treatments are administered. We also discuss seven emergency indications that may benefit from transfer to a hyperbaric facility for treatment.

Objective of the Review

Our aim is to provide an overview of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as it pertains to an emergency physician. We hope that this review will help emergency physicians identify conditions that may benefit from transfer to a hyperbaric facility.

Discussion

We discuss seven emergency conditions that may benefit from transfer to a hyperbaric facility for management—decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism, central retinal artery occlusion, carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injury, necrotizing soft tissue infection, and symptomatic anemia. We also describe special considerations for how to transfer patients needing evaluation by a hyperbaric physician.

Conclusions

This review aims to describe hyperbaric oxygen therapy, identify conditions that may benefit from treatment with hyperbaric oxygen, and discuss management of patients with those conditions as it pertains to an emergency physician.