Hyperbaric oxygen therapy combines increased atmospheric pressure with breathing near-100% oxygen. The result is a temporary, substantial increase in the oxygen dissolved directly in blood plasma and available to tissues.
The chamber raises the surrounding pressure above normal atmospheric pressure.
At pressure, breathing oxygen greatly increases the partial pressure of oxygen in the lungs and blood.
More oxygen dissolves directly into plasma, supplementing the oxygen normally carried by hemoglobin.
Higher tissue oxygen can influence circulation, wound repair, immune activity and cellular signalling.
Pressure allows substantially more oxygen to dissolve into blood plasma, increasing the amount available for diffusion into tissue.
Hyperoxia can cause temporary vasoconstriction while maintaining high oxygen delivery, a combination that can help reduce edema in selected injuries.
HBOT affects VEGF and other signalling pathways involved in angiogenesis and the development of new microvasculature.
Fibroblast activity, collagen formation and several stages of wound healing depend on adequate oxygen availability.
High tissue oxygen can support oxygen-dependent bacterial killing by white blood cells and can enhance the activity of some antibiotics in appropriate clinical settings.
HBOT temporarily increases oxidative stress, but those reactive oxygen and nitrogen species also act as signalling molecules. Human studies have documented effects on inflammatory and angiogenic markers, although their clinical importance depends on the condition being treated.
Breathing oxygen at normal atmospheric pressure increases the oxygen carried in your blood. Hyperbaric treatment adds pressure, changing how much oxygen can dissolve into plasma and how strongly it can diffuse into tissue. That pressure component is fundamental to HBOT.
Most oxygen in the bloodstream is transported by hemoglobin, with comparatively little dissolved directly in plasma.
Inside the chamber, increased ambient pressure raises the partial pressure of the oxygen you breathe.
The increased pressure drives substantially more oxygen into the liquid component of blood.
The resulting oxygen gradient allows oxygen to diffuse farther from functioning blood vessels toward areas where oxygen delivery may be impaired.
A foundational review connecting increased tissue oxygen with the cellular signalling, vascular and repair mechanisms behind HBOT.
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A systematic review of human studies examining how HBOT influences inflammatory signalling, oxidative stress and factors involved in new blood-vessel formation.
A randomized, double-blind clinical trial found improved long-term healing in selected patients with chronic diabetic foot ulcers receiving adjunctive HBOT.
