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1662 - The First Pressurized Chamber by Henshaw
British physician, Nathaniel Henshaw, builds and operates the first pressurized room, called the Domicilium, used to treat various health conditions. -
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1788 - Compressed Air in Diving Bell
Compressed hyperbaric air is first used in a diving bell for underwater repair, leading to new diving tech. -
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1834 - The First Hyperbaric Tank
A French iron shop builds the first hyperbaric tank under Dr. Junod's direction. The Bulletin of the Academy of Medicine reported Dr. Junod’s success with a complete recovery from a variety of medical conditions. Hyperbaric enthusiasm spread among the European countries during the next forty years -
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1837 - Pravaz's 12-Person Chamber
A practitioner named Pravaz develops a large hyperbaric chamber able to treat 12 patients at once, mainly for lung conditions. -
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1860 - North America's First Chamber
An enterprising Canadian builds the first North American hyperbaric chamber to treat patients. The first hyperbaric centers open in Canada and the United States. Meanwhile, the city of Oshawa, Ontario in Canada became the site of the first North American hyperbaric center in 1860. Then in 1861, the first hyperbaric chamber in the United States of America was established in New York. -
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1877 - Fontaine's Mobile Chamber
A scientist named Fontaine invents the first mobile hyperbaric operating theater, as HBOT becomes more common. -
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Late 1800s - Hyperbaric Practitioners in Every Major City in Europe
An official standard of care had not been created nor observed and procedures and standards varied greatly between practitioners. The care varied in the number of sessions, the time per session, the degree of pressure, oxygen percentage, and the pathologies that the practitioner claimed to treat. -
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Early 1900s - Haldane Studies Effects of Oxygen
Dr. John S. Haldane researches compressed oxygen and pioneers oxygen therapy while teaching at the University of Dundee. He developed the first diving tables for the Royal Navy. His legacy gives him the title "Father of Oxygen Therapy" and physicians continue in his line of work to this day. -
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Early 1900s - Cunningham's Research
Hyperbaric Practitioner, Dr. Cunningham, treated patients afflicted by the Spanish influenza epidemic and notices people at higher altitudes fare worse with influenza, leading him to research hyperbaric therapy. -
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1917 - Dräger designs 2.0 ATA Diving System
Dräger develops a 2 ATA hyperbaric system to treat diving accidents, including an oxygen breathing apparatus. -
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1918 - Dr. Orval Cunningham's Research
Dr. Orval Cunningham begins notable research on using hyperbaric oxygen to treat decompression sickness. -
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1928 – Six Story Hyperbaric Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio
With funding, Cunningham builds the 900-ton, 64-foot steel ball hospital capable of 2-week treatments. The largest hyperbaric chamber ever built with 72 rooms at pressures of 3 ATA (Atmospheres Absolute) -
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1937 - First Monoplace Chamber
Dr. Behnke builds the first monoplace hyperbaric chamber at the Naval Medical Research Institute. -
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1940s – U.S. Military Use for Diving
The U.S. military uses HBOT to treat deep-sea divers with decompression sickness (still to this day one of the most common applications for HBOT). -
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1942 – Cunningham’s Sanitarium Hyperbaric Chamber
Dismantled for the War Effort The Cunningham Sanitarium's hyperbaric chamber yielded $25,000 worth of steel to the construction of military tanks for WWII. -
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1950s - Clinical Use Expands
The clinical use of hyperbaric medicine expands, treating conditions like carbon monoxide poisoning. -
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Mid 1900s - Churchill Davis' Research
Dr. Churchill Davis researches HBOT for cancer patients, forming the basis of modern practice. Davis was especially interested in how much better cancer patients under radiation therapy reacted while utilizing hyperbaric oxygen. Although some disputed the claims based on the number of ailments that Davis claimed to be able to treat, the doctor’s research forms the basis of modern hyperbaric medicine. -
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1956 - Cunningham's Book Published
Dr. Cunningham publishes his seminal book "The Use of Hyperbaric Oxygenation in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis." -
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1960s - Research Advances
Major advances occur in hyperbaric research and technology, including chambers with transparent viewing areas. -
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1960s - Use for RDS After JFK's Son
Public interests in HBOT hit a high spike after JFK's son receives HBOT for Respiratory Distress Syndrome, or RDS, research expands, improving NICUs. While they could not save Kennedy’s newborn son, this was the spark the medical community needed to learn from. The use of HBOT sparked funding for research and eventually brought about what is now the modern neonatal intensive care units, or NICU. Now, 95 percent of infants born with RDS survive with medical treatment. -
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1970s - Medicare Coverage
Medicare begins covering hyperbaric oxygen therapy for 13 “On-Label” medical conditions and diagnoses. -
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1980 - Undersea Medical Society Formed
The Undersea Medical Society (now Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society) forms to promote research and education. -
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1990s - Use for Chronic Wounds
HBOT gains acceptance as an effective treatment for chronic non-healing wounds. -
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1990s - Gamow Bag Invented
Igor Gamow invents the portable Gamow Bag mild hyperbaric chamber for high altitude use. These mobile chambers provided high altitude climbers with an effective method to combat the deadly low air pressure at high altitudes. The Gamow Bag was large enough to fit a single person, small enough to be carried by a single person, and was inflated by foot pump. This was the first mild hyperbaric chamber. -
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Today - Researching Other Conditions
Studies now explore using HBOT for conditions like strokes, brain injuries, autism, MS, and cancer. As the use of HBOT continues, many physicians and researchers push forward and look at other conditions that HBOT may benefit. Studies show positive results with neurological conditions such as stroke and brain injuries. Studies into the treatment of conditions such as autism, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and even cancer are in the works.