Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) may be able
to benefit these Cardiac Complications:

• Historically used in Cardiac Surgery as early as the 1600’s
• Aiding tissue hypoxia following heart attack or prolonged cardiac surgeries
• Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)
• Cardiac Air Embolism
• Sternal Infection and Osteomylitits following Cardiac Surgery
• Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD) (2)

One of the earliest indications using HBOT in cardiovascular surgery was in 1960 by a Dutch surgeon named Boerema (1).
A major strategy during cardiac surgery is managing to supply the body with enough oxygen while potentially stopping the heart and correcting the anomaly.

In a famous study by Boerema et al (2) they showed that animals can survive without blood cells while in a hyperbaric chamber. During this time without their blood, their EEG’s showed no pathological stress or changes and their circulation and blood pressure remained normal as a result of enough oxygen to maintain aerobic metabolism. After re-infusion of their blood, the animals, (pigs) lived normal playful lives.
Resulting from this research in the 1960’s, several countries designed HBO operating “theatres” specifically used for cardiac surgeries where mortality figures were lower than those reported without HBO.

Such was the case with Janet. She was born with a life-threatening condition called aortic valve stenosis, which blocks blood flow across the aortic valve. HBOT SAVED HER LIFE.
The Boston Children’s hyperbaric chamber remained in use until 1974, when rapidly advancing innovations such as the heart-lung bypass made it safe to operate on infants in normal operating rooms. But back in 1964, it was the cutting-edge hyperbaric chamber that gave infants a special chance at having corrective heart surgery.


Prior to a heart attack there will be plaque buildup in major coronary arteries preventing blood flow and oxygen to the heart. Hypoxia or lack of oxygen will cause a cascade of sequelae and potential injury to the heart. What may occur involves damage to cellular metabolism or to mitochondrial function. The changes are extensive and impact the body both micro and macro. (4)

Tissue hypoxia is often amenable to HBO therapy. (pg. 39, Jain Sixth ed.) In the management of disease resulting in tissue hypoxia, HBOT will supersaturate the plasma and the extracellular fluid; Henry’s Law. (5)


Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), includes acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina, is common and may prove fatal. HBOT will improve oxygen supply to the threatened heart and may reduce the volume of heart muscle that perishes. (6)

The main application of HBOT for ACS:

• Extensive heart muscle damage indicated by lab work showing lesser rise in muscle enzyme.
• Individual risk of major adverse coronary events and dysrhythmias reduced following HBOT
• An increase in pain relief with HBOT

As a Harvard Heart Letter From Harvard Health Medical publishing states, “Cancer treatment can be the proverbial double-edged sword. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are increasing the number of people who survive cancer. However, they can also cause these same people to develop cardiovascular disease.”

“Radiation therapy can cause heart attack, heart failure, and arrhythmias. Traditional and novel chemotherapy agents can damage the heart or peripheral blood vessels, or cause problems with clotting or blood lipids. Some serious cardiovascular effects occur while radiation or chemotherapy is being given; others appear long after cancer has become a distant memory.” Read More….

Massive arterial air embolism is a rare but devastating complication of cardiac operations. Several treatment modalities have been proposed, but hyperbaric oxygen is the specific therapy.
All 5 patients who were treated within 3 hours from the operation and 50% (2 of 4 patients) of those patients treated 3 to 5 hours from operation experienced a full neurologic recovery. With a delay of 9 to 20 hours, only 1 of 8 patients had a full neurologic recovery.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy should be administered as soon as possible after massive arterial air embolism during cardiac operations. (7)
Another study; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5139121/
We are learning more and more from the successes of the treatment of damaged skin tissues with HBOT.
Because there is often scarring in the chest and leg during bypass surgery, in all likelihood HBOT would aid in healing this surgical scarring.

• HBOT boosts the body with anti inflammatory cellular components and pro immune responses that protect against infection. (8)
• HBOT supports in wound healing by supporting the immune system and will increase anti inflammatory proving to increase stem cell count by 8-fold.
• HBOT also supports angiogenesis bringing new vascularization to wound healing at tissue and organ levels. (9, 10)

Also, there is an enormous benefit of preventing or successfully treating the neurological injury that these surgeries can cause.



ARVD Heart Condition



Post Surgical HBOT
HBOT as an adjunctive treatment for sternal infection and osteomyelitis after sternotomy and cardiothoracic surgery (11)
More reasons Why Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is effective:
Read these 22 reasons that HBOT can help you.
For wound healing, HBOT will increase growth factors, endothelial progenaitor cells (EPCs), and stem cell production. (13)
HBOT is given in a hard steel medical grade device called a Hyperbaric chamber. HBOT has been defined by The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society, as breathing 100% oxygen at a pressure greater than one atmosphere absolute (ATA). (14)

Our award winning facility is conveniently located 10 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge near beautiful San Francisco. We would love for you to come and tour our facility.

We charge a fraction of the cost, using the same style chambers as a hospital-based Hyperbaric unit.

Insurance will often pay for post radiation therapy damage. (15) If you think your radiation therapy for breast or throat cancers may have led to cardiac diseases, (16) please contact your physician for assistance. Please note that an ejection fraction of greater than 30% is required for our cardiac patients.
If YOU or anyone in your family or anyone in your community might be a candidate,
whose quality of life may be greatly improved with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy,
Please consider this remarkable medicine today.
Call us today for more information or to schedule a consultation with our Medical Hyperbaric Physician.
415-785-8652

Advanced Hyperbaric Medical Director, Jacqueline S. Chan, DO
Hyperbaric Physician is Board Certified in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Family Practice

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