Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine

Underwater and hyperbaric medicine focuses on health issues related to diving, compressed air environments, and oxygen treatments. It involves understanding how pressure affects the body, especially concerns like decompression sickness ("the bends") when divers ascend too quickly, or oxygen toxicity. Hyperbaric therapy uses a pressurized chamber to deliver pure oxygen, promoting healing of injuries such as wounds, infections, or carbon monoxide poisoning by increasing oxygen levels in tissues. This specialty combines knowledge of physiology, physics, and medicine to safely diagnose, treat, and prevent conditions associated with hyperbaric and underwater environments.