It was not until the 1950's that pure oxygen was used in a pressure chamber for cardiac surgery. It was found to be highly effective for treating carbon monoxide poisoning and gas gangrene. In the 1970's, however, interest in Hyperbaric Medicine dulled with the invention of the heart lung machine. Since that time, interest in Hyperbaric Medicine has renewed and currently has 14 approved applications by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. In the monoplace chamber the patient lays on a stretcher which slides into the chamber which is then sealed.
Pure oxygen is used to pressurize the chamber.
In the multiplace chamber, several patients are treated in a large chamber and breathe oxygen from a face mask or a hood. Both types of chambers enjoy equal results.