In a July 26 press release titled "Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Know the Facts," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT/HBO2) to treat several conditions. The statement further states: "If your healthcare provider recommends HBOT therapy, the FDA recommends that you be treated at a hospital or facility that has been examined and accredited by the Society for Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine."

The agency recommends that individuals seeking hyperbaric oxygen therapy should check with their healthcare provider to ensure they are seeking the most appropriate treatment, noting that some facilities operate outside of FDA-approved guidelines. "The FDA is aware that some hyperbaric oxygen therapy centers promote hyperbaric oxygen chambers for uses that have not been approved or approved by the FDA, such as the treatment of cancer, Lyme disease, autism, or Alzheimer's disease."

FDA Approved for Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment

The FDA has approved hyperbaric oxygen therapy for these conditions:

Air and air bubbles in blood vessels

Anemia (severe anemia when blood cannot be transfused)

Burns (severe and extensive burns are treated in specialized burn centers)

poisoned by carbon monoxide

crush injury

Decompression sickness (dive risk)

gas gangrene

Hearing loss (complete hearing loss that occurs suddenly and has no known cause)

Skin and bone infections (severe)

radiation damage

Risk of tissue death from skin grafts and flaps

Loss of vision (sudden painless in one eye due to blocked blood)

Wounds (unhealed, diabetic foot ulcers)

HBO2 therapy is currently being studied for the treatment of other diseases, including COVID-19, but no hyperbaric oxygen device has been approved or authorized to treat COVID-19 or any disease other than those listed above.