Hyperbaric Medicine comprises hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the medical use of oxygen at an ambient pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, to treat a variety of medical conditions including airgas embolism, decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, acute critical anemia, arterial insufficiency, delayed radiation injury, compromised grafts and flaps, gas gangrene and other problem wounds/infections including osteomyelitis. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also promotes the growth of new vessels, optimization of white blood cell function, and restoration of tissue metabolic balance.
The Hyperbaric Medicine Unit at Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is the largest hospital-based hyperbaric facility in Ontario that has both multi-place and mono-place hyperbaric chambers. The Hyperbaric Medicine Unit Team consists of 15 anesthesiologists, 32 respiratory therapists of which 26 are certified hyperbaric technologists, and an administrative assistant. The Unit provides 24/7 coverage for emergencies and treats 10-12 elective/urgent patients/day.
