A specialist oxygen treatment centre in West Cork is seeing more referrals than ever, a quarter of a century after opening, writes David Forsythe
IT all started back in 1995, says Robert Wilmot, PRO for the Bandon Hyperbaric Oxygen Centre (BHOC). Local man Liam Deasy had been living with multiple sclerosis since the 1970s but discovered when visiting family in Wales that using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber offered great relief from some of his symptoms.
Hyperbaric chambers work by administering 100% oxygen to patients at a pressure level higher than atmospheric pressure. Sessions normally last around an hour. It is similar to the method for treating decompression sickness, also known as ‘the bends’ in divers, but has a wide range of other medical applications.
By elevating the blood oxygen levels to more than 10 times the normal level the treatment can promote healing in damaged tissue and also can have anti-inflammatory effects, making it useful in treating conditions from migraine, wounds, sores, and ulcers to hearing conditions and even Long Covid.
In 1995, the only such facility available in Ireland was in Newry, says Robert, a long trip from Bandon. That’s when Liam’s friends decided to swing into action and see if they could establish a chamber he could use in West Cork.
The driving force behind the initiative was local diver Paddy O’Sullivan who also happened to be an electrical engineer. Paddy managed to source a chamber in Cyprus and the group of friends arranged to get it transported back to Ireland. It was stored at Bandon Co-op before a permanent home was found in Bandon Town Hall in 2001.
From those early days when around 10 people were using the chamber every week, the service has expanded to now offer two chambers, treating up to 20 people per day. BHOC is a registered charity staffed by a team of about 20 volunteers and is supported by volunteer fundraising. Robert says that the centre is continuing to grow in popularity with referrals from Ireland and overseas.
An application form can be downloaded from the website that also needs to be completed by your GP. The application is assessed by a medical consultant and then an appointment can be made to visit BHOC. The centre offers two hour-long sessions on Mondays, four sessions every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and one on Saturday mornings.
When patients arrive they are seated in the chamber wearing the oxygen mask and connected to the oxygen supply.
They are now breathing 100% oxygen at normal atmospheric pressure level. The chamber is then sealed and the pressurisation process brings the chamber to the required treatment pressure, using compressed air.
Once the required pressure is reached, the occupants of the chamber continue to breathe the 100% oxygen throughout the one-hour treatment session.
The chamber then goes through a depressurisation to bring the pressure back to atmospheric level. The door of the chamber is opened and the treatment procedure is complete.
Treatment can last weeks or months, and those who find it beneficial for chronic conditions often attend for years.
In terms of cost, Robert says that because BHOC is voluntary the overheads are low and they are able to maintain lower prices than commercial operators. On the first visit, patients purchase an oxygen mask and connection tubes for €40 and they can then bring these on subsequent visits. Each treatment session, or ‘dive’ as Robert calls it, then costs €25.
Robert says that the centre is seeing an ever-increasing number of referrals as hyperbaric oxygen treatment continues to grow in popularity around the world.
‘Many people find it helpful in dealing with the effects of cancer treatment, which is a growing area,’ he said.
‘It’s become very popular in many places, in Israel, in China, there is a lot of interest. We even had a visit from Coolmore Stud who were looking into building a chamber for their horses in Tipperary!’ he revealed.
For more information visit www.bhoc.ie.
