The Board of Directors of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society recently approved a new position statement addressing low-pressure, soft-sided hyperbaric chambers.
The gist: The marketing and operation of portable low-pressure fabric hyperbaric chambers for indications other than acute mountain sickness is considered off-label.
The use of the low-pressure fabric hyperbaric chambers is commonly called mild hyperbaric therapy (MHT or mHBOT). Marketing and use of these devices as clinical hyperbaric chambers is also common, and consumers should use caution. Using mHBOT with air as designed, will deliver no more oxygen to the body than breathing oxygen by mask at sea level pressure. We are not aware of any reliable clinical evidence that mild compression to less than 1.4 ATA has any therapeutic effect. Mild Hyperbaric therapy is being offered in clinical chambers as well as the low pressure fabric hyperbaric chambers. The UHMS does not recommend the use of mHBOT for any medical purpose other than acute mountain sickness.
For details as well as reference materials, see the attached PDF.
Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society Blog (UHMSblog) 