There are a number of characteristics that distinguish HBOT and mHBOT, including chamber design, functionality, and price. Traditional hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) often occurs within a steel enclosure and is usually administered by a physician in a hospital or other healthcare institution. These hardshell chambers can sustain pressures exceeding 2.0 ATA and often use 100% oxygen.
Due to their size and weight, traditional HBOT chambers are stationary and significantly more expensive than their mHBOT counterparts. Individuals who choose HBOT generally travel to a site for treatment and pay a fee for scheduled sessions. Mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy (mHBOT) occurs within an inflatable chamber that is sealed with zippers and sometimes reinforced with straps. The pressure in most mHBOT softshell chambers ranges somewhere between 1.3 and 1.5 ATA. Pure oxygen can be supplied through an oxygen concentrator, but mHBOT just as often relies on ambient air (80% nitrogen, 20% oxygen).
Finally, mHBOT chambers are designed to appeal to individual users as well as smaller clinics. As a result, they are significantly less expensive than HBOT chambers and, because they are deflatable, they can be packaged, stored, and transported without being overly burdensome.