Christchurch New Zealand

Christchurch Hospital

Christchurch Hyperbaric Medicine Unit

(Last updated Oct 99)

History
Location
Plant
Staff
Contact Details
Treatments

History

Hyperbarics began in Christchurch in 1973 as a supplement to treating head and neck cancers with radiotherapy. It was also used to treat acute problems such as Decompression sickness, Gas Gangrene and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. This continued on until the Princess Margaret Hospital opened Sept. 1979 and a Hyperbaric Unit was established there.

Following 19 years of service at The Princess Margaret Hospital, the chamber and associated plant were moved to Christchurch Public Hospital. This allowed better access to core services such as radiology, oncology, plastics etc. A new control panel was installed and the compressors were installed in soundproof boxes. Minimal part-time staffing appointments were made and a few patients with problem wounds have been treated.

Location

We are located on the lower-ground, Parkside west,
Christchurch Hospital, near the western lifts.

Plant

Chamber
Main Lock Volume = 2.9m3
Capacity 1 - 2 patient plus an attendant. (i.e. about the size of a deck recompression chamber)
Transfer Lock Vol = 1.9m3.

Compressors
We use a high pressure system which allows us the luxury of knowing, before a treatment, what our available air supply status is.

Compressor 1 : 22 cuft/min Bauer V20
Compressor 2 : 5 cfm/min Bauer

Air Banks
H.P. (3,000psi) 'G' Cylinders (7,500 ltrs)
10 per bank x 5 banks = 375 m3 Total

Staff

Medical Director (1* 0.2FTE)
Hyperbaric Doctors (Drawn from various hospital departments and private practice)
Technical Supervisor / Safety Officer (1x 0.2FTE)
Clinical Nurse Specialist (1x 0.2FTE)
Nurse/attendants (10 casual)
Supervisor (1 casual)
Operators (7 casual)

Contact Details

Christchurch Hyperbaric Medicine Unit
Private Bag 4710, Christchurch
New Zealand

Phone: 64 03 3640 045
Fax: ....64 03 3640 187
Email: hbu@chhlth.govt.nz

Treatments

Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment is a means of providing additional oxygen to your body tissues. By intermittently increasing the oxygen in the tissues, healing is enhanced. The major favorable effects on difficult wounds are to speed new microscopic blood vessel growth into the wound and to improve the ability of the white blood cells to kill germs. It is important to know that hyperbaric oxygen is an adjunctive or additional therapy with the current medical and surgical care one is receiving. It is essential that patients understand this is not a “cure-all” but again, a part of one’s total medical and surgical care.

Patients are accepted by referral only through a medical or surgical specialist.

The following conditions are treated:

Air or Gas Embolism
Decompression Sickness
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Gas Gangrene
Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
Crush Injury & other Acute Traumatic Ischemias
Thermal Burns
Intracranial Abscess
Comprised Skin Grafts & Flaps
Radiation Tissue Damage
Diabetic Wounds
Refractory Osteomyelitis
Many Chronic Hypoxic Wounds