For referring physicians

Help Your Patients Heal With Medical-Grade HBOT

Clinical guidance on how HBOT works, the evidence by condition, what treatment involves and how to refer a patient.

Refer a Patient Explore the Evidence

Collaborative patient care

How HBOT fits into a patient’s care

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) combines increased ambient pressure with high-concentration oxygen. Under pressure, more oxygen dissolves in plasma and can reach tissue beyond normal hemoglobin transport. This change can affect tissue oxygenation, swelling, host defense and repair.

We assess each patient, select the treatment protocol and keep the referring physician informed. HBOT is used alongside the diagnosis and care plan already directed by the patient’s clinical team.

Clinical indications

Indications for HBOT

HBOT has a defined set of FDA-cleared uses. Most patients we serve come to us for indications beyond that list, where a growing body of research supports treatment on a case-by-case basis.

FDA-cleared indications

The FDA has cleared hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the following uses. Clinical suitability and insurance coverage still depend on the individual case.

  • Air or gas embolism
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning (with or without cyanide poisoning)
  • Gas gangrene (clostridial myositis and myonecrosis)
  • Crush injury, compartment syndrome, and other acute traumatic ischemias
  • Decompression sickness
  • Arterial insufficiencies (central retinal artery occlusion; selected problem wounds, including diabetic foot ulcers)
  • Severe anemia
  • Intracranial abscess
  • Necrotizing soft tissue infections
  • Refractory osteomyelitis
  • Delayed radiation injury (soft tissue and bony necrosis)
  • Compromised skin grafts and flaps
  • Acute thermal burn injury

The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society additionally recognizes idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and avascular necrosis.

Evidence by condition

HBOT literature by indication

Evidence and clinical acceptance differ across these applications. This literature makes no claim of effectiveness or FDA clearance for HBOT. Each case requires physician review and informed consent.

Performance & Longevity

Research here studies HBOT's effect on cognition, physical capacity, and cellular markers of aging in older and healthy adults. Findings are early and vary by protocol.

View full bibliography
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Athletic Recovery & Injuries

Studies examine whether HBOT influences mitochondrial function, physical performance, and recovery in athletes and active adults.

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Chronic Pain & Fatigue

Most trials here focus on fibromyalgia, including randomized studies of HBOT's effect on pain, function, and brain activity.

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Concussions & TBIs

Randomized and imaging studies examine HBOT for persistent post-concussion symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury.

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Long COVID

Several randomized, sham-controlled trials assess HBOT for post-COVID cognitive, cardiac, and neurological symptoms.

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Neurological & Neuro-degenerative

This area spans distinct conditions, so the evidence is grouped by indication below rather than pooled.

Post-stroke

View full bibliography

PTSD

View full bibliography

Autism

View full bibliography

Chronic CO poisoning

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Oncology & Cancer Adjunct

HBOT's role in oncology is supportive and adjunctive. It is studied for managing complications such as radiation tissue injury and alongside standard cancer care. These references do not establish HBOT as a cancer treatment.

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Post-Surgical Recovery

Studies examine HBOT before or after surgery for its effect on healing, infection, and recovery, including randomized and meta-analytic evidence in selected procedures.

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Mechanisms of action

The science behind HBOT

The response to HBOT varies with the prescribed pressure and duration, the number of sessions, the tissue being treated and the underlying condition. Several of the mechanisms below may occur at the same time.

Hyper-oxygenation

Pressure increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in plasma and other body fluids. This gives oxygen another route into hypoxic tissue when red-cell delivery is limited. The effect depends on tissue perfusion, oxygen demand and the prescribed pressure.

Thom 2011 (opens in a new tab)

Mitochondrial support

HBOT changes oxygen availability and redox signaling inside cells. Studies suggest effects on mitochondrial respiration, ATP metabolism and antioxidant responses, although results vary by protocol and disease model. These findings explain a possible mechanism. Individual response remains uncertain.

Schottlender et al. 2021 (opens in a new tab)

Inflammation and edema modulation

Hyperoxia causes vasoconstriction while the extra oxygen dissolved in plasma remains available to tissue. In selected conditions, that may help control edema. HBOT also affects inflammatory signaling and the interaction between white blood cells and vascular endothelium. Timing and tissue state influence the response.

Thom 2011 (opens in a new tab) Lindenmann et al. 2021 (opens in a new tab)

Progenitor-cell mobilization

A small human study found an increase in circulating CD34-positive cells after a course of HBOT. The finding points to a possible role in repair signaling. The biomarker result cannot be translated directly into an equivalent increase in healing.

Thom et al. 2006 (opens in a new tab)

Neovascularization and tissue repair

Repeated HBOT sessions can affect growth-factor signaling, fibroblast activity, collagen production and new blood-vessel formation. These processes unfold over time and still depend on perfusion, infection control, wound care and the rest of the patient’s treatment plan.

Lindenmann et al. 2021 (opens in a new tab)

Antimicrobial and immune-support effects

Higher tissue oxygen levels can improve oxygen-dependent killing by white blood cells. They may also inhibit some organisms or make them more susceptible to treatment. For selected infections, HBOT is used as an adjunct to source control and antimicrobial therapy.

Thom 2011 (opens in a new tab)

Treatment environment

What treatment involves

A soft-sided chamber and a medical-grade hard chamber deliver different exposures. Operating pressure, oxygen delivery, device clearance and clinical supervision determine the dose a patient receives.

Mild hyperbaric

Soft-sided chamber

  • Usually operates below the pressures used in clinical HBOT protocols.
  • Pressure and oxygen delivery differ from a prescribed medical HBOT dose.
What we use

Medical-grade HBOT

Hard-sided chamber

Every patient at MD Hyperbaric is treated in a hard-sided medical chamber. It is the standard clinical HBOT is built around.

  • Supports physician-prescribed pressure and high-concentration oxygen delivery.
  • Patients are screened before treatment and monitored by trained clinical personnel.

Two ways to work with us

Refer a patient or request a consultation

Refer a patient

Ready to refer? Use the secure digital form or the printable referral. Every patient is clinically evaluated before treatment.

Refer a patient

Request a consultation

Have a clinical question first? Request a call with our Medical Director before you refer.

Request a consultation
  1. 1

    Send the referral

    Use the secure digital form or printable referral. Include the diagnosis, relevant history and current care plan.

  2. 2

    Clinical evaluation

    Our clinical team reviews the patient’s candidacy and contraindications. We will request any records needed to make an informed recommendation.

  3. 3

    Coordinate the plan

    When HBOT is appropriate, we coordinate treatment with the referring physician and the patient’s existing clinicians.

  4. 4

    Communicate progress

    Relevant treatment information and follow-up needs can be shared with the referring clinician to support continuity of care.

Refer a patient

Choose the referral format that works for your practice

Complete the embedded form below or download the printable version. You can also open the digital form in a separate tab.

Open digital form (opens in a new tab) Download printable form (opens in a new tab)

Not ready to refer?

Request a Medical Director consultation

Have a clinical question before you refer? Request a call with our Medical Director. Please do not include patient names, diagnoses, or other medical details in this form.

Common questions

Questions physicians ask

A patient rests inside our hard-sided Fortius420 chamber and breathes normally throughout the session. Most appointments last about 80 minutes, though the prescribed pressure and duration can vary.

HBOT has known risks and is performed under medical supervision. Before treatment, our care team checks contraindications. Consent covers the expected benefit and available alternatives, along with risks relevant to the prescribed protocol.

The most common adverse effect is pressure-related discomfort or barotrauma involving the ears or sinuses. Some patients experience temporary visual changes during a treatment course. Oxygen toxicity is uncommon, which is why the prescribed dose and clinical monitoring matter.

We give each patient chamber-specific instructions before the first session. Clothing and personal items must meet chamber requirements. Cosmetics and hair products should be removed, along with jewelry and anything else restricted by the chamber protocol. Patients should also tell us about tobacco or nicotine use because it can impair oxygen delivery.

Patients should tell the clinical team about any change that could affect pressure tolerance or safe monitoring, including:

  • Cold, flu, fever, sinus or nasal symptoms, or chest congestion
  • Possible pregnancy
  • Any medication changes
  • Diabetes and the timing of insulin or other glucose-lowering medication
  • Concerns or anxiety about treatment

Use the digital form on this page or download the printable referral. Every patient is clinically evaluated before treatment, and our team can coordinate the HBOT plan with the referring physician.

How HBOT Can Help Your Patients Heal Faster

Enhancing Patient Care with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

At MD Hyperbaric, our goal is to provide advanced treatment options to optimize your patients’ recovery and well-being.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a cutting-edge, non-invasive medical treatment that significantly enhances the body’s natural healing processes. By delivering 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized environment, HBOT dramatically increases oxygen levels in the bloodstream, leading to profound therapeutic benefits for a diverse range of medical conditions.

HBOT works by accelerating tissue repair, reducing inflammation, fighting infection, and stimulating cellular regeneration. We are committed to providing a supportive and complementary service to your practice, integrating seamlessly with your patients’ current treatment protocols.

The information here will guide you in identifying suitable candidates for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. As a referring physician, you will remain an integral part of your patients’ ongoing care, with continuous collaboration and clear communication from our team.

Submit a referral using the digital form below or click the button to access a printable referral form

Printable Referral Form

Which Conditions Can HBOT Address?

FDA-Approved, Insured Conditions

  • Air and gas bubbles in blood vessels
  • Anemia (severe anemia when blood transfusions cannot be used)
  • Burns (severe and large burns treated at a specialized burn center)
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning
  • Crush injury
  • Decompression sickness (diving risk)
  • Gas gangrene
  • Hearing loss (complete hearing loss that occurs suddenly and without any known cause)
  • Infection of the skin and bone (severe)
  • Radiation injury
  • Skin graft flap at risk of tissue death
  • Vision loss (when sudden and painless in one eye due to blockage of blood flow)
  • Wounds (non-healing, diabetic foot ulcers)

Extensively Studied Conditions, Not Yet Insured

See All Conditions

The Benefits of Medical-Grade Hyperbaric

Mild Hyperbaric (Soft Chamber)

  • Low-pressure zippered bags (below 1.4 ATA)
  • Little to no proven therapeutic benefit
  • Less than 100% oxygen purity
  • Most chambers are not compliant

True Hyperbaric (Hard Chamber)

  • Sessions operated at proven therapeutic benefit levels (1.5 to 3 ATA)
  • Deliver 100% pure USP oxygen
  • Optimize oxygen saturation
  • 8x more oxygen in cells vs. normal breathing
Learn More About HBOT

HBOT Frequently Asked Questions

MD Hyperbaric utilizes the FDA-cleared Fortius420, the largest chamber on the market (91in. long 42in. diameter). Patients simply breathe normally to deliver 100% oxygen to the body while relaxing, sleeping, or reading. A typical session lasts around 80 minutes.

HBOT is performed under medical supervision. Although there are minor risks, like all medical treatments, when performed appropriately, HBOT is extremely safe. The risks will be discussed with you before you sign your consent form for therapy.

The most common side effect is barotrauma to the ears and sinuses caused by the change in pressure. To minimize this risk, patients learn techniques to clear their ears during compression. Occasionally some patients may experience changes in their vision during their treatment period. These changes are usually minor and temporary. A rare side effect is oxygen toxicity, which is caused by administering too much oxygen. At MDHyperbaric, we follow treatment protocols to avoid any such issues.

Only clean, cotton clothing is allowed in the chamber. No cosmetics, perfumes, hair preparations, deodorants, wigs, or jewelry are allowed in the chamber. Patients should give up all tobacco and nicotine products, as they interfere with the body’s ability to transport oxygen.

  • If you have any cold or flu symptoms, fever, sinus or nasal congestion, or chest congestion
  • If there is a possibility that you may be pregnant
  • If there has been a change in any of your medications
  • If you are diabetic and did not take your insulin prior to treatment
  • If you have any concerns or anxiety regarding the chamber

Patients are accepted either by self referral or by physician referral. Patients are evaluated by our staff and treated based on their specific conditions.

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