HMC medical unit armed with 'cutting-edge treatment'

Hamad Medical Corp (HMC) last week officially opened its state-of-the-art Trauma and Emergency Center at Hamad General Hospital.

As part of the inauguration, the new Hyperbaric Therapy Unit was also officially opened, highlighting one of the many "cutting-edge therapies" that HMC is bringing to Qatar.

Dr Kokash Osama, senior consultant, Anaesthesia, and head of HMC’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Programme, said while hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been available at HMC since 2013, the new Hyperbaric Therapy Unit has significantly increased capacity to provide the treatment.

He said the new 18-person hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber is the largest in the country, and one of the first of its kind in the region.

“There are two types of chambers used to administer hyperbaric oxygen therapy – monoplace chambers that permit a single occupant at one time and multi-place chambers that allow multiple patients to be treated at the same time. Previously, we had a monoplace chamber. Our new chamber, which is a multi-place chamber, allows several patients to be treated at the same time. It also allows space for a healthcare professional to be inside the chamber caring for patients,” said Dr Osama.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves sitting or lying inside a sealed chamber and wearing an air mask with two tubes attached — one providing pure oxygen, the other taking old air away.

The therapy is painless and non-invasive.

HMC’s new hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber features both VIP and standard seating and can also accommodate an ICU bed.

“With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients breathe pure oxygen while in a pressurised chamber. The rapid infusion of a high concentration of pure oxygen helps the growth of new blood vessels and promotes healing of ischaemic wounds. The therapy has an anti-inflammatory effect, which helps fight bacteria and stimulate the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells,” said Dr Osama.

Dr Osama explains that while hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a well-established emergency medical treatment for conditions such as decompression sickness, a hazard of scuba diving, carbon monoxide poisoning and air embolisms, it has also been shown to be an effective supplemental therapy for many chronic, non-emergency conditions such as slow-healing wounds, in particular, diabetic foot ulcers, and osteomyelitis.

“In addition to carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness, there are a dozen conditions that the evidence shows benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy, such as treating damage resulting from radiation therapy, compromised skin grafts and acute thermal burn injuries. There is also some evidence that it can be effectively used to treat neurological conditions associated with reduced oxygen levels, such as stroke and traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinsontarget="_blank"'>