Patients requiring hyperbaric oxygen treatment will benefit from two new monoplace hyperbaric chambers which arrived at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) this week.

The chambers are part of the Hodgman Liberal Government’s $12 million investment in hyperbaric medicine as part of the $689 million RHH Redevelopment.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a well-known treatment for decompression illness and works by squashing bubbles which form in the blood and tissue of divers who have been exposed to pressure underwater.

The therapy is also used to treat other conditions that affect many Tasmanians every year – tissue injury from radiation treatment for cancer and serious infections like diabetic wounds and gangrene, for example.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also helps restore normal healing of wounds where it has been delayed.
It does this by delivering around 10 times the amount of oxygen to the patient, than what they would normally breathe.

The chambers are for single-patient treatments, provide patient privacy, flexible treatment scheduling and are more comfortable for less mobile patients.

When we came to Government, the RHH Rescue Taskforce we set up, recommended that the replacement of the hyperbaric chamber be brought forward to eliminate risk from its close proximity to construction and ensure continuity of service.

For patient and staff safety during the K-Block build, a temporary multi-place hyperbaric chamber will also be leased.

This will be located away from the direct impact of the construction on the Collins Street side of the current unit.

Macquarie Builders Pty Ltd were recently announced as the successful tenderer for the $559,000 building works needed to install the temporary hyperbaric chamber.

Another hyperbaric chamber will also be built on level 3 of the new K-Block and will be able to treat 10 patients simultaneously.

The two monoplace chambers will be moved to K-Block once it is built.
For more information on the redevelopment visit www.rhhredevelopment.tas.gov.au

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