Our Perry Sigma
II Duo-Place Chamber
The Center for Hyperbaric Medicine
utilizes a Perry Duo-place
chamber that can seat two patients
comfortably or one patient
on a gurney. The chamber is
pressurized on compressed air,
a safety feature exclusive
of multi-place chambers. The
patient
breathes oxygen while
in the chamber by a hood or
mask.
Our chamber has
IV access allowing patients who recieve
daily
antibiotic therapy to
recieve their medication during their
hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Along with IV access during
HBO,
we alo have ventilator
capabilities inside the chamber to
care
for the critically
ill.
Depending on the
unit census you may recieve
treatment alone
or with
a chamber mate. Only patients who
have identical
diagnoses or the same ATA will be
placed in the chamber
together. Of course critically ill
patients, and those with
contagious infections, or
wounds that make sitting
intolerable,
will be
treated by themselves.
While in the chamber, you will
experiance three phases
during
HBO therapy :
the pressurization phase, the treatment
phase,
and the
depressurizing phase.
Pressurization
During the pressurization phase you will experience a
feeling of
fullness in your ears. This feeling is
similar
to what you experience when driving into mountainous
areas, flying, or
diving to the bottom of
a pool. Most
people upon feeling this "fullness" equalize the pressure
in their ears or
"pop their ears" by
yawning or swallowing.
The hyperbaric technician will coach you in
relieving
any
ear pressure you may experience during the pressurization
phase. Some patients may
have pressure
equalization
tubes placed
if they are unable to clear their
ears or in
order to
make pressurization easier. Radiation
patients
may already have
one or both tubes present.
Treatment
The
treatment phase consists of
the 90 minutes you will
breathe 100% oxygen at
your prescribed treatment pressure.
The treatment phase can be
as long as
100 minutes, if
your
prescribed treatment pressure requires a
10 minute air break
be given. During the treatment phase, you can sleep, watch
television or
a movie, or
talk with the staff if
you like.
Decompression
During the decompression phase the hyperbaric technician
gradually decreases the pressure inside the chamber.
It is
normal during the decompression phase, for you to
experience a
crackling or popping sound in
your ears as
the pressure is
releasing. It is
the same feeling you would
experience when driving down a
mountain or when landing
after flying in
an airplane. This feeling may last a
few hours
after treatment and has been described by
our patients
as a only a
slight "dullness" in their hearing.
Due to hyperbaric medicine's founding
basis in scuba
diving and
decompression sickness many of the terms
are aquatically based. You
may notice your treatment
referrred to as a "dive", this is
simply due to the
measurement of your treatment pressure
is in ATA or
feet of
seawater.
If you have any questions regarding
the chamber, your
treatment,
or the facility please feel free to
ask the nurse
or therapist
in the unit.
To view frequently asked questions by
our patients or
take a
tour of the Duke / Diver's Alert Network
chamber
follow the links
below.
Frequently
Asked Questions 
Virtual
Duke/ Diver's Alert Chamber
Tour
