Submarine ride to nowhere

This is the interior of a large multiplace hyperbaric chamber. Most people associate these chambers with how they are used to treat divers who have the "bends."

Hyperbaric chambers are also used to treat a number of medical issues. The treatment is called "Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy."

This particular chamber is located in Seattle, Washington at Virginia Mason Hospital, and is one of the largest chambers on the West Coast.

The overall length is 40+ feet long and it can accommodate a total of 16 patients split between two separate compartments with the same interior space as one would find in a Boeing 737! Patients are seated in large recliner chairs about the same size as a first class airline seat. The compartments are aptly named, Port and Starboard!

There are a total of five air tight doors, one at each end, two in the middle, and one mid section between the two separate compartments. The normal operating pressure is the equivalent of being on a submarine at 45 feet below sea level. In rare cases, the pressure can be increased to be the equivalent of being 160+ feet below sea level.

No street clothes or personal electronics are allowed on board. Patients wear surgical scrubs and are allowed to bring books and magazines, and are even allowed to sleep if they want. Typical treatments usually run about two hours, and a nurse comes along for the ride.

My wife and I took the tour after a consultation about the possibility of my wife receiving treatment for diabetic foot ulcers.