Summit Health offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy as both a stand-alone treatment and as a therapy used in conjunction with antibiotics and surgery. All hyperbaric physicians are fully trained in hyperbaric medicine, and the medical director, Dr. Robert Pinnick, is board-certified in Hyperbaric Medicine. All full-time staff are certified Hyperbaric Technologists.
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a treatment in which a patient breathes 100% oxygen while inside a treatment chamber at a pressure higher than 1 atmosphere absolute (ATA), i.e., greater than sea level pressure. In most circumstances, HBOT is an adjunct to surgical or pharmacologic interventions, while in others, it represents the primary treatment modality.
Hyperbaric treatments at Summit Health are carried out in a mono‑place chamber in which a single patient breathes 100% oxygen while under pressure. According to the UHMS definition and the determination of The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other third-party carriers, breathing 100% oxygen at 1 atmosphere of pressure or exposing isolated parts of the body to 100% oxygen does not constitute hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The patient must receive the oxygen by inhalation within a chamber pressurized to 1.4 ATA or greater.
Learn more about the indications for hyperbaric therapy and some frequently asked questions, or watch the video below.