In a heartbreaking tragedy, a 5 -year -old boy from Michigan lost his life in a hyperbaric room explosion in January. Now, while civil servants have accusations of murder against four people, the incident has raised urgent concerns concerning security and regulations in an industry that operates with a minimum of surveillance.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HOT) involves placing a patient in a hyperbaric chamber, where air pressure is high at a normal atmospheric pressure level. This increased pressure allows the lungs to absorb more oxygen, which is then delivered to the tissues to promote healing.
The little boy, Thomas, died while he was undergoing hyperbaric room treatment at the Oxford Center, another medical establishment in Detroit, on January 31. He received treatment for ADHD and sleep apnea, conditions for which the FDA has not approved the use of hyperbaric therapy.
Although the FDA recommends that the installation be accredited by the underwater and the hyperbaric Medical Society, accreditation is not a mandate. In addition, state law does not require any surveillance on the use of hyperbarical chambers, said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reported by Detroit Free Press.
The tragedy exposes a major failure in the government’s regulations of an industry that often protects vulnerable people in search of alternative treatments when conventional medicine fails, underlined John Peters, executive director of underwater and hyperbaric medical society, an international non-profit association which provides accreditation for hyperbaric therapy programs. Peters also calls for higher monitoring to protect patients from these risks.
The FDA has approved Hyperbarical rooms for the treatment of conditions such as air and gas bubbles in blood vessels, severe anemia, large burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, crushing injuries, decompression illness, gas gangrene, sudden hearing loss, severe infections, radiation injuries, skin loss at risk, Blood flow blocking and non -deposited diabetic ulcers.
Although the use of hyperbarical rooms for other conditions is under study, the FDA said that it had erased or authorized any HOBIA device for uses beyond those listed. He also highlighted several potential risks of hyperbaric chamber therapy, including the ear and pain of sinuses, the lesions of the middle ear such as the rupture of the tympanic membrane, the changes of temporary vision and, in rare cases, the pulmonary collapse.
“High concentrations of oxygen also have the risk of fire, which is one of the reasons why the FDA recommends treatment in an accredited establishment. Explosions and fires have occurred in HOBS chambers which have not been examined by the FDA and are located in non -accredited installations”, an update of the FDA reading.
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