Quantification of referrals received at two emergency-capable hyperbaric medicine centers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sethuraman K, Tom M, Chew KW, Ramon Y, Romero-Casillas J, Hardy K. Quantification of referrals received at two emergency-capable hyperbaric medicine centers. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2024 Second Quarter; 51(2):97-100. Emergency hyperbaric oxygen treatment capability is limited in the United States, and there is little documentation of calls received by centers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Our study aimed to calculate the number of calls received for urgent hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2). We logged calls from two HBO2 chambers on the East Coast of the United States that serve a densely populated region in 2021. The total number of emergency calls was 187 at the University of Maryland (UMD) and 127 at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). There were calls on 180/365 (46%) days during the study period at UMD and 239/365 (63%) days at UPenn. The most common indication was carbon monoxide toxicity. The peak month of calls was March. Emergency HBO2 calls are common, and more centers must accept emergency cases. Data from geographically diverse centers would add generalizability to these results and capture more diving-related emergencies.