HBO & Brain Trauma Treatment

Every year in the USA, more than two million people sustain some form of traumatic brain injury, with 1,000,000 being severe enough to be treated in hospital emergency rooms.

Brain injury can be caused by an external physical force (also known as traumatic brain injury, or TBI), resulting in:

• rapid acceleration or deceleration of the head;
• bleeding within or around the brain;
• lack of sufficient oxygen to the brain;
• toxic substances passing through the blood-brain barrier.

Any of these effects can result in an inadequate oxygen supply and cause brain injury, resulting in temporary or permanent impairment of cognitive, emotional and/or physical functioning.

The extent of damage from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can vary considerably, depending upon the severity of the injury and degree of hypoxia (decrease in the oxygen supply to a tissue). Depending on the extent of the brain damage, symptoms of TBI can be mild, moderate or severe. Like the symptoms, the outcome of a brain injury can be mild (complete recovery) to severe (permanent disability or death).

HBOT can provide safe and efficient treatment to improve the functional recovery of TBI survivors. With TBI, brain areas that are injured are not receiving enough blood flow as a result of the trauma. Tissue might get enough oxygen to survive but not enough to be functional. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment can heal TBI patients by regenerating, repairing and generating new blood vessels to the injured parts of the brain. Recent research also indicates that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can improve spatial learning and memory in those with chronic traumatic brain injuries.

If you'd like more information concerning treating TBI with hyperbaric oxygen, please contact us. Thank you.

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