HyperMED - Conditions Treated

Most patients attending HyperMED Australia  [Melbourne Hyperbaric and the Spinal Rehabilitation Group] are referred, and present with a long-standing and complicated history of disability. 

Traumatology

• Crush injuries

• Compartment syndrome

• Soft tissue musculoskeletal injuries

• Closed and open head injury 

Orthopedic Disorders

• Fracture repair (all stages), delayed and non-union

• Bone grafts

• Aid to prosthesis rehabilitative care

• Acute and chronic spinal instability

• Sacroiliac syndrome

• Osteoporosis

• Facet dysfunction

• Disc protrusion (single, multi-level)

• Canal stenosis (central, foraminal)

• Post-surgical instability

• Degenerative joint disease (single, multi-level)

• Inflammatory arthritides

Neurological Disorders

• Spinal cord neuropathy due to crush and neurovascular degeneration

• Paraplegia, quadriplegia due to incomplete neurovascular compression

• Peripheral nerve injury and neuropathies (crush, demylination)

• Closed head impact injury (brain damage)

• Cerebral edema

• Migraine

• Vegetative coma

• Brain abscess

• Cerebrovascular stroke (acute and chronic stages)

• Multiple sclerosis

• Multi infarct dementia

• Cerebral palsy, epilepsy due to hypoxia

• Near hanging

• Near drowning

Cardiac Disorders

• Aid to cardiac surgery and rehabilitation

• Coronary heart disease (angina pectoris, myocardial ischemia)

• Heart insufficiency (post surgical)

• Heart contractile dysfunction

Plastic and Reconstructive surgery

• Non healing, delayed wounds

• Aid to survival skin flaps with marginal circulation

• Aid to reimplantation surgery

• Aid to burns treatment 

Peripheral Vascular Disorders

• Delayed wounds, recurrent ulcers, infection

• Gangrene

• Acute and chronic arterial insufficiency 

Haematology

• Sickle cell crisis

• Acute and chronic blood loss anemia 

Radiosensitivity

• Enhancement of radiosensitivity of malignant tumours

Ophthalmology

• Central retinal artery occlusion

Otorhinolaryngology

• Sudden deafness

• Acute acoustic trauma

• Labyrinthitis

• Meniere’s disease

• Malignant otitis externa (chronic infection)

Gastrointestinal

• Gastric and duodenal ulcers

• Necrotising enterocolitis

• Paralytic ileus

• Pneumotoides cystoides intestinalis

• Hepatitis

Endocrine Disorders

• All stages of diabetes

Lung Disorders

• Lung abscess

• Pulmonary embolism (as an adjunct to surgery)

Obstetrics

Complications of pregnancy, including

• Diabetes

• Eclampsia

• Heart disease

• Placental hypoxia

• Foetal hypoxia

• Congenital heart disease of the neonate

Many patients and their families recognize their lack of improvement and are often referred to us as ‘the last hope’. Due to the severity of their disability and their failure to improve with conventional therapies, most patients hope that the use of Hyperbaric Oxygenation together with assertive physical therapy will produce better results. 

Orthopaedic and Neurological disorders are our prime focus, given the fact that approximately 20-30% of the body’s consumption of Oxygen occurs within 3-5% of the body mass – the brain and spinal cord. These structures are extremely sensitive to oxygen deficiency, and can have the most dramatic results with the use of HBOT (Jain 1995).

Hyperbaric Medicine is used as an ‘adjunctive therapy’. HBOT is used in conjunction with other forms of aggressive treatment recommended by the patient’s Doctor, to promote stabilization and repair. The purpose of Hyperbaric Oxygenation (HBOT) is to repair tissue that is severely damaged because of inadequate blood supply.

• HBOT improves the immune system mechanisms with an increase in lymphocyte (white blood cell) production, promoting fibroblast replication and collagen production, repairing disc and supporting ligaments.

• HBOT accelerates body defence mechanisms enabling the patient to overcome chronic infections and viral conditions inhibiting immune system function. This is extremely important in spinal surgery patients where delayed wound healing due to poor vascular compliance leads to further serious complications. The incidence of post surgical scarring, adhesions and predisposition to infection is dramatically reduced with HBOT.

In the United States of America, England, Europe and Asia, HBOT is used routinely to promote accelerated healing including pre and post operative procedures. It is used to reduce secondary complications including infections, and to promote functional rehabilitation. HBOT significantly reduces the length of post-surgical rehabilitation care and hospitalisation, which reduces costs (Jain 1995).

Hyperbaric Medicine is not a ‘cure all’, but has been clearly demonstrated to dramatically increase immune capabilities, assisting patients with problems ranging from simple delayed wound healing to complex disabilities and impairment.

• HBOT is non-invasive, it is not a surgical procedure

• HBOT is safe. Unlike many other forms of treatments and surgical procedures, HBOT has few side effects, and almost none of any lasting nature

• HBOT works extremely well with other forms of physical therapies and or requisite medications. It enhances the effectiveness of both traditional and complimentary therapies