Item Approval

Is glistening free hydrophobic acrylic material lens implants able to go into the chamber? This same pt has had bilateral knee replacements and there is no available information regarding what was used. How would you clear the pt for HBO?

The UHMS HBO2 safety committee can provide information to assist you in answering your question, but the ultimate responsibility for these types of questions rests with the medical director and safety director of your facility.

Regarding whether patients with glistening free hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens implants are able to go into the hyperbaric chamber:

• We are not aware of studies on this specific topic. We have never seen complications from hyperbaric oxygen and intraocular lenses.
• Our recommendation would be to work closely with the ophthalmic surgeon.
• Each supplier may have a recommended period of time to avoid pressure changes. This time may vary from days to weeks. Your best source of information would be found by contacting the lens manufacturer and asking about hyperbaric pressure documents.
• In practice, for anterior chamber and intraocular lens implants, we see a 3-5 day waiting period before starting HBO2. This is usually a limitation of the surgical procedure and not the intraocular lens material.

Regarding bilateral knee replacements:

• Inert biological implants without a closed airspace or electrical circuits are safe, but individual consideration must be given as to the potential effects of pressure changes We are not aware of any limitations for hyperbaric oxygen and total joint operations. This would be a decision made by information from the manufacturer, the orthopedic surgeon, and the hyperbaric medical director.

Respectfully,

The UHMS Safety Committee

DISCLAIMER

Neither the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) staff nor its members are able to provide medical diagnosis or recommend equipment over the internet.  If you have medical concerns about hyperbaric medicine you need to be evaluated by a doctor licensed to practice medicine in your locale, which can provide you professional recommendations for hyperbaric medicine based upon your condition. The responsibility of approving the use of equipment resides with the physician and safety director of the facility.  Information provided on this forum is for general educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of your own health care practitioner and you should not rely upon it as though it were specific medical advice given to you personally.

Is there a particular company or 100% cotton blanket that you could recommend for the hyperbaric chamber?

Thank you for your question. The UHMS hyperbaric oxygen safety committee (SC) can provide information but the ultimate responsibility for these types of questions is with the medical director and safety director of your facility.

Regarding blankets for the chamber:

• There are several commercial vendors that supply hyperbaric blankets. UHMS hyperbaric oxygen safety committee is not able to recommend one vendor over another. If you are in a hospital system, you may even be able to utilize hospital supplied blankets.
• The NFPA 99, 2018 edition 14.3.1.6.4 and annex note for textiles in the chamber such as, sheets, pillowcases, and blankets, directs us to conform with 14.3.1.6.4.2*, and annex note A14.3.1.6.4.2, specify that 100% cotton or a blend of cotton/polyester are permitted in the class A chambers and 100% cotton or a blend containing no more than 50% polyester for the class B chamber. We recommend that you adopt this practice for blankets, sheets and pillow cases in the hyperbaric chamber. You should have this document in your library. There is also free access to the NFPA codes (read only) at http://www.nfpa.org/
• The UHMS Ad Hoc Materials Testing Advisory Committee (MTAC) was formed to address questions related to materials in oxygen enriched environments. A presentation from the MTAC regarding material selection and risk assessment occurred during the 2017 UHMS Safety Pre-course to the UHMS ASM. These were recorded and we hope to have them as enduring materials available to the public soon.

Additionally, there are public articles related to this topic that may be of interest to you.

https://learn.hyperbaricmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Burman-Chamber-Clothing-Flat.pdf

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/wound.2017.0742

Respectfully,

The UHMS Safety Committee

DISCLAIMER

Neither the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) staff nor its members are able to provide medical diagnosis or recommend equipment over the internet.  If you have medical concerns about hyperbaric medicine you need to be evaluated by a doctor licensed to practice medicine in your locale, which can provide you professional recommendations for hyperbaric medicine based upon your condition. The responsibility of approving the use of equipment resides with the physician and safety director of the facility.  Information provided on this forum is for general educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of your own health care practitioner and you should not rely upon it as though it were specific medical advice given to you personally.