Safety, risks and contraindications

What treatment involves

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Heal & Go₂ is delivered in a monoplace chamber, which means you are treated on your own rather than in a group.

Oxygen is delivered through a mask rather than into the chamber itself.

You will be given a medical cotton gown to change into before your session. This is a safety requirement rather than a formality, and is explained in full in your pre-treatment information.

Your chamber operator can see, hear and speak to you throughout, and you can speak to them at any point during the session.

Treatment is delivered at pressures between 2.0 and 2.4 ATA. The exact pressure, session duration and number of sessions vary by clinical indication and by the relevant treatment protocol.

Treatment pressure is not selected by the patient, and may differ between clinical indications.

A course typically runs from ten sessions up to sixty, with each session lasting between 60 and 120 minutes.

Every HBOT treatment at Heal & Go₂ is provided following a medical assessment and an individual prescription from a doctor trained in hyperbaric medicine.

A trained chamber operator supervises and continuously monitors you throughout the treatment, and is responsible for the safe operation of the chamber.

A registered nurse is available as part of the clinical team during treatment sessions, with appropriate medical cover and a defined escalation pathway should you become unwell or require medical review.

You will not undergo HBOT without trained clinical and chamber personnel responsible for your care.

What it is used for

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used for a defined set of clinical indications. Whether it is appropriate for you is a clinical decision taken after assessment, and it is not suitable for everyone.

This page covers safety, risks and what to expect. It does not set out which conditions are treated, or what treatment achieves for them. Those are covered on the individual condition pages, which are reviewed and approved separately.

Risks and side effects

Repeated hyperbaric oxygen therapy can sometimes cause a temporary change in vision, most commonly a short-sighted or myopic shift.

This effect is usually temporary and reversible, with vision gradually returning towards its previous level after the course of HBOT has finished. You should not be alarmed if you notice a mild change in distance vision during a course of treatment.

If you are undertaking a planned course of repeated HBOT, we record your baseline visual acuity before treatment begins, so that any subsequent change can be assessed against it.

A routine formal ophthalmology or optometry assessment is not required for every patient, but may be recommended for those with pre-existing eye disease, significant visual impairment or other relevant clinical concerns.

Please let the clinical team know if you notice any change in your vision during treatment. Any significant, persistent or unusual visual symptoms will be clinically assessed and, where appropriate, referred for further ophthalmic evaluation.

We advise you not to drive yourself home after your first HBOT session. Where possible, please arrange alternative transport. This gives you a chance to understand how you personally respond to treatment.

After subsequent sessions you may drive, provided you feel completely well and have no dizziness, light-headedness, significant fatigue, visual disturbance or other symptoms that could impair safe driving.

If any of these symptoms occur, do not drive until they have fully resolved.

If you experience changes in vision during a course of treatment, please make sure your vision remains suitable for safe driving, and discuss any significant change with the clinical team.

UK driving guidance similarly treats disabling dizziness and functionally significant visual impairment as incompatible with safe driving until recovery.

Who should not have treatment

Hyperbaric oxygen affects several body systems, so certain conditions, recent procedures and medications need to be assessed before treatment.

Please tell the clinical team about:

• any lung condition, or a recent chest infection, cold or blocked sinuses
• recent ear, sinus, dental, chest or abdominal surgery
• any implanted medical device
• all current medications, including anything recently started or changed
• pregnancy, or if you may be pregnant
• previous difficulty with pressure changes, including on flights
• claustrophobia or a history of panic attacks

Some conditions mean HBOT is not suitable. Others simply need managing before you start. Either way, the assessment exists to make treatment safe for you, and being straightforward with the team is the most useful thing you can do.