Space-age breathing Green Bay Hyperbarics program director Angela Smet uppacks a hood patients wear for oxygen delivery in the hyperbaric chamber (photo by H. Marc Larson). Green Bay's first hyperbaric chamber lands in Ashwaubenon By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle On first glance, it looks like some sort of space capsule. Or maybe a ride at a theme park. But a one-seat car-like unit with a windshield is actually Green Bay's first hyperbaric chamber. The chamber is a medical unit designed to increase the body's oxygen intake. The hyperbaric chamber is like a small room where atmospheric pressure is increased and patients breathe in 100 percent oxygen in order help the body heal. The treatments are mainly used to promote tissue healing and to prevent infection. "There's been a lot of interest in Green Bay. We're the only free-standing one in the state, which means we're not in a hospital," said Angela Smet, hyperbaric program director. Patients are seated in a reclining chair and sealed into the chamber with a plastic hood that keeps the oxygen flowing. During the 90-minute session, the atmospheric pressure is doubled slowly and patients breathe oxygen while relaxing and watching a movie. There are 13 conditions covered by insurance companies where patients can use the chamber, but other people pay out of their own pockets to receive the treatments. Conditions like crush injuries, gas gangrene, slow healing of problem wounds and skin grafts are treated by insurance. Other patients, like those with cerebral palsy or who have had a stroke, can pay for the treatments on their own. They are $175 each, but prices are reduced when multiple sessions are booked. The treatments elevate the level of dissolved oxygen in the blood throughout the body. Patients must have a prescription from their doctor to receive treatment. "Compressed oxygen is considered a drug," Smet said. "Most doctors are very open-minded and willing to pursue the best treatment options. Ultimately, it's up to the patients to do what they want to do." Smet said patients come in for 20-60 treatments, some of which are on a daily basis. In the treatment of wounds, the sessions can end early if the wound heals. "(Daily treatments are) the best way to do it because that's how you'll see results," Smet said. "With brain injury or CP, you can see a lot more treatments that way." Many people seek treatments before and after surgery to help prevent infection because high levels of oxygen kills anaerobic bacteria. "It helps to build your immune system," Smet said. Smet said she thinks the hyperbaric treatments will become more popular in the area because they are already taking off on the east and west coasts. In other areas the chambers are used to treat people with carbon monoxide poisoning. "That's why a lot of hospitals on the West and East Coast have them in the ER," she said. She hopes to add another chamber in the future, which costs as much as a nice car, she said. The 1,500-pound machine had to be lowered into the building through a window. FYI: The grand opening for Green Bay Hyperbarics will be held at 10:30 a.m. March 31 at 2830 Ramada Way, Ashwaubenon. For more information, call 920-499-0670 or visit www.greenbayhyperbarics.com.