A hyperbaric chamber is a device whose primary objective and usage is to supply a patient with pure oxygen-rich air. Hyperbaric chambers are also designed to generate and maintain a proper environment for human occupancy. There are various factors that are to be considered when the notion of the human occupancy environment is brought up. These factors include several components such as the total pressure, the factor of humidity, as well as the temperature. Another factor that is deemed important with regard to the human occupancy is that of the partial pressure of oxygen. Thus, the Hyperbaric chamber is used to regulate and form an adequate environment, which includes regulating the above-mentioned factors.
There are three main forms or types of hyperbaric chambers known as Portable Mono-place, Stationary Mono-place and finally the Multi-Place hyperbaric chamber. The Multi-place chambers are the most popular and widely used chambers that have two or sometimes more than two sections. These sections have the ability to be pressurized individually, allowing either an exit pathway or an entrance pathway whilst the main unit is under pressure.
The inside chamber of the hyperbaric chamber is the main component that is pressurized, usually by supplying the main chamber with air that is pumped at high amounts of pressure. An air compressor is the most suitable machine for supplying the main chamber with the required amount of air at high pressure.
In order for the patient to inhale the oxygen, a BIBS (built in breathing system) is used to deliver and maintain the pressure of the needed oxygen. Hyperbaric chambers are used to cure many medically related problems, primarily that of diabetes and even anemia. These two diseases hinder and restrict blood cells from being saturated with oxygen, which can be very dangerous for the patient. Thus, the hyperbaric chamber is used to remove that hindrance and allow for pure oxygen to be delivered and inhaled by the patient.
Currently, such chambers can be classified as hard or soft chambers. Soft chambers are much smaller in size and are used by patients who are considered claustrophobic and are thus not comfortable in small spaces. Soft chambers are used for patients who only need a small or milder amount of hyperbaric therapy. The hard chambers, on the other hand, have the capacity to fit up to a dozen people and are small room-like ‘cages’ that supply patients with the amount of oxygen they require.
Sources:
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-does-a-hyperbaric-chamber-work.htm
http://www.hyperbaricsrx.com/what-is-a-hyperbaric-chamber.html
