Mid-Atlantic Concussion (MAC) Alliance now offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) at our Hockessin, Delaware, location. The MAC Alliance Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center provides HBOT for post-concussion and post-TBI treatment, as well as for any medical conditions for which HBOT is FDA cleared.
WHAT IS HBOT?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a treatment involving breathing pure oxygen within a pressurized environment. HBOT allows patients to breathe oxygen in special chambers at greater than normal atmospheric pressures, and this creates an environment that can help tissues and organs like the brain generate new capillaries around the injured tissue. This can create increased blood flow to the injured part and facilitate better healing.
HBOT achieves this using a special chamber where air pressure is typically 1.5 to 3.0 times higher than normal. This typically is repeated during multiple sessions over the course of weeks or months.
Can HBOT Help Treat Concussions and TBIs?
A growing body of medical research, and our own experience in our clinic, show evidence that concussion/TBI patients can benefit from properly supervised HBOT treatments. This usually consists 60 one-hour sessions done 2-3 times a week, over the course of several months. These treatments are prescribed in conjunction with (and not in place of) a patient’s individualized recovery program.
The Science Behind Using HBOT for Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms And Traumatic Brain Injuries
The MAC Alliance HBOT Center has both sitting and reclining chambers to accommodate patients’ needs.
Did you know that 20% of cardiac output, or blood flow from the heart goes to the brain? With this, the brain can only fire off about 15% of the over 80 billion of the body’s nerve fibers at one time.
After a traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as a concussion, this limited capacity hampers the brain’s ability to recruit unused nerve fibers to take over the lost function of the damaged ones. This can slow down or hamper a patient’s concussion recovery therapy.
When TBI patients are not experiencing enough post-concussion syndrome (PCS) progress during their treatment program, HBOT can offer them assistance in the form of better access to more nerve fibers.With the same 20% cardiac output from the heart to the brain, HBOT sessions can help the blood’s red blood cells carry more oxygen to the brain so that it can recruit extra nerve fibers. This improved metabolism aids cellular repair and new nerve recruitment that can ultimately speed up concussion and TBI recovery by making vestibular, ocular and cognitive therapies more productive and successful. We can measure this progress using objective testing with new, advanced technologies.
Is HBOT Covered by Insurance?
Since peer-reviewed studies are showing its efficacy, some insurance companies are beginning to cover HBOT for the treatment of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) and traumatic brain injury. Patients should ask their insurance providers for more information.
Other Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Mid-Atlantic Concussion (MAC) Alliance is now also accepting patients with conditions that are FDA-cleared for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We accept most insurers for HBOT treatments for these conditions, which are usually covered in full. For patients in our community who currently have to drive long distances to hospitals with HBOT services, MAC Alliance is now making it easier for them to have access much closer to home.
The following medical conditions are cleared by the FDA for hyperbaric oxygen therapy:
- Actinomycosis — fungal infection
- Acute Arterial Insufficiency — blockage of the central retinal artery of the eye
- Acute Trauma Injuries/ Crush Injuries
- Air or Gas Embolism
- Brain (Intracranial) Abscess
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Chronic Refractory Osteomyelitis — prolonged bone infection
- Compromised Amputation, Skin Graft or Flap Site
- Cyanide Poisoning
- Decompression Sickness — a condition known to divers as “the bends”
- Delayed Radiation Tissue Injury — from cancer treatments
- Diabetic Wounds
- Gas Gangrene
- Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
- Severe Anemia
- Sudden Hearing Loss
- Thermal Burns — to the skin
Our Commitment to Concussion and TBI Patients
Because the use of HBOT for concussion and TBI recovery is not yet FDA-cleared, it is often considered an out-of-pocket expense by insurance companies. Unlike most elite professional athletes, the cost of HBOT to treat concussions for the average person can be prohibitive: the cost for a one-hour HBOT session in a hospital environment can be $350 or more per hour.
To give concussion and TBI patients and their families access to HBOT, MAC Alliance has created our own in-house HBOT program. We have set a more affordable price for sessions to open up this resource to as many patients as possible. This includes athletes of all ages, as well as our fall, car accident and work injury patients.
We have created an easy-to-use HBOT payment program that:
- Allows our patients to do their first three one-hour sessions for only $25 each
- If tolerated, patients can continue their sessions at $50 each
- Is local, so that patients in our community do not have to drive long distances to hospitals with HBOT services
This self-pay price scale is designed to assist concussion and TBI patients and other patients who may benefit from HBOT. For any FDA-cleared use, we accept most insurers for HBOT treatments for these conditions, which are usually covered in full.
Please contact us to find out more about receiving HBOT treatment from our trained medical staff under the direction of our licensed physicians.
