Patients needing treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning, stubborn wounds, and infections in which tissues are starved for oxygen will be able to access a new Hyperbaric Chamber at the CWM Hospital following its commissioning.
The chamber which is valued at $USD300,000 was purchased by the Fijian Government.
CWM Hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Luke Nasedra says the staff will be trained to operate the chamber.
The bends, also known as decompression sickness, occurs in divers when dissolved gases, mainly nitrogen, come out of solution in bubbles and can affect just about any body area including joints, lungs, heart, skin and brain.
It is caused by the formation of bubbles of gas that occur with changes in pressure during diving, and if not treated, can lead to death.
The process to fix it is called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy which is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure to address bends.
The Decompression Chamber is also used as one of the ways to facilitate healing in severely infected wounds, especially those linked with diseases that result in impaired blood flow to wound sites as in diabetes.
