Portable hyperbaric Chambers are usually designed as light-weight, mobile, easy-to-use tools to be utilized for immediate treatment of serious conditions of acute mountain sickness (AMS), acute high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) or acute mountain hypochondriasis (AMC). The chambers must be rapidly inflated or pressurized with manual pumps or air-pump systems. They can also be equipped with automatic inflation and deflation systems. Hyperbaric chambers have been widely used by emergency medical services for many years. Patients recover much more rapidly from many ailments in a hyperbaric chamber than from traditional hospitals with more extensive patient care.
In a recent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), researchers examined the health and athletic performance of athletes using portable hyperbaric chambers. The study compared the performance of 14 elite athletes who had different training histories. The athletes were divided into two groups: one group that regularly performed high-intensity workouts; and another group that did not regularly train at all. During testing, the researchers noted significant increases in muscle strength, increased body mass and higher peak blood pressure and heart rate.
The portable hyperbaric chamber was the only device in the test that could consistently prevent negative oxygen effects on the athletes. When the athlete breathed in the chamber at certain altitudes, there was a marked rise in the amount of pure oxygen that was delivered to the lungs. The increase in oxygen flow combined with the compression of the air sacs constricted the amount of carbon dioxide that was present in the blood. This process also caused an initial rise in blood pH. High pH levels are believed to stimulate acid production. The elevated pH levels were eventually followed by a rapid decrease in pH levels.
The researchers concluded that the changes in pH levels resulted in a dramatic change in the metabolic process of the athletes. The increase in metabolic rate and acid clearance gave them more energy than they had at baseline. During the descent, the changes in temperature made it easier for the athletes to change exertion from aerobic to anaerobic energy production. The researchers believe that this rise in energy levels and metabolic rate were responsible for the increase in athletic performance.
Scientists have been using hyperbaric chambers for several years as a way to measure various physical aspects such as cardiovascular and respiratory rates, stress hormone levels, and body composition. These chambers have also been used to research the effects of exercise, recovery, and injury on the human body. It is not uncommon for athletes to use portable hyperbaric chambers following competition to reduce the amount of pain and soreness they feel following a competition. The portable chambers come in various sizes and configurations, allowing an athlete to choose the size that will give them the most benefit. The larger the chamber the better because athletes can store more volume and use the chamber over an extended period of time. The chamber also allows you to adjust the relative humidity of the chamber and to control the oxygen levels within the chamber.
The portable hyperbaric chamber has many other applications other than enhancing sports and exercise performance. In the medical field the chambers have been used to determine the severity of an asthma attack and to see if an asthmatic condition can be successfully treated with controlled exposure to pressurized air. The chambers have also shown to be effective in determining lung volumes in patients with COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and in determining lung function in those with emphysema (smoker's lung disease). In the veterinary science field the chambers have been used to measure brain functions in horses under anesthesia to find out the extent of brain damage done during surgery. Researchers in the zoological field have also used the chambers to track the growth of animals over time and to study environmental diseases in animals.
With the portable hyperbaric chamber, athletes and medical professionals now have the ability to take advantage of a technology that will allow measurement of various aspects of an athlete's body including blood, oxygen and carbon dioxide. With the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels remaining constant athletes will be able to focus on improving their physical performance rather than worrying about the level of oxygen in their blood. It is hoped that the portable chamber will benefit sportsmen and women both competitive and non-competitively. Athletes that are participating in competitions or training camps will benefit from the chamber allowing them to focus on competing rather than on ensuring that they have enough oxygen to perform at their best. The portable chambers will also help medical professionals to diagnose and treat conditions such as asthma and COPD.
The portable hyperbaric chamber is also useful for research purposes. Scientists can use the chamber to study many different aspects of human body functioning including the immune system and brain function. This helps them gain a better understanding of how the body works. It also allows scientists to learn more about how to improve the functionality of the body for the benefit of patients with severe medical conditions. As well as helping athletes and medical professionals to perform better, the portable hyperbaric chamber is useful for researchers due to the low cost of the equipment. Portable chambers can also be used by the general public in research facilities or hospitals for the same purposes as the professionals.
Copyright © HyperbaricPros.com
