History of Hyperbaric Oxygen
Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) was first documented in 1662, when Henshaw built the first hyperbaric chamber, or ‘domicilium’. Since this time, reports of beneficial effects from increased pressure have increased, and by 1877, chambers were used widely for many conditions.

​

 In 1921, OJ Cunningham employed HBOT successfully during the Spanish Flu to treat hypoxia secondary to lung infections. It was cardiac surgeon Ite Boerema who put HBOT on a solid footing with his open-heart surgery results in various pediatric cardiac conditions and rightly deserved the title of father of modern-day hyperbaric medicine. From 1937 onwards, HBOT research snowballed into treating a wide variety of diseases. In 1999, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society and Food and Drug Administration recognized the value of HBOT, and this led to its becoming a major tool for clinicians, either as a primary or adjunctive therapy for a spectrum of diseases.