Undersea Oxygen Clinic Hyperbaric Center: What Happens Here?

Usually there is about 21% oxygen in the air that we breathe and our lungs transfer this oxygen to our tissues via hemoglobin in the red blood cells. This transfer of oxygen can be impeded, however, by a restriction in blood flow due to surgery, illness, injury, old age, or localized swelling (inflammation). When there is such a restriction in blood flow the blood vessel may become unable to transfer oxygen to the cells on the other side of the blockage. This causes further swelling and starves the area of oxygen (hypoxia); when this occurs, the tissue begins to break down and die.

By breathing 100% oxygen at pressures greater than sea-level (“Undersea” pressures) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) super-saturates oxygen into the body’s tissues which promotes increased capillary growth, increases white blood cell activity (which assists body in fighting infection), promotes tissue strength & development (by increasing collagen production), speeds healing, reduces pain and swelling, helps inhibit toxins, reduces the size of gas bubbles, and has synergistic effects with certain antibiotics. (1) HBOT also mobilizes the body’s circulating STEM cells and it has been shown that single 2-hour exposure to HBOT at 2 ATA doubles circulating CD34+ progenitor stem cells These stem cells are basic human cells targeted to salvage and restore damaged structures within the body. Additionally, at approximately 20-hours of HBOT; circulating CD34+ are cells increased by 800%. (2) Everyone knows how great STEM cells are for your body and healing.

The Undersea Oxygen Clinic is a progressive HBOT clinic started by two veterans who are life long experts in the field of hyperbarics. Their overriding desire is to help educate people about hyperbarics and make a difference in individual’s lives, naturally and safely. HBOT is a primary treatment for many ailments or a superb adjunct to surgical or pharmacologic interventions. Check with your healthcare provider or look on www.underseaoxygenclinic.com for more details. Come and experience what “Undersea Oxygen” is all about!

The clinic president, CDR Joseph Dituri, Ph.D., enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1985. He served continuously on active service upon various ships and shore stations where he was involved in every form of diving and systems life support the Navy has, hyperbaric system certification and building lock in lock out submersibles. In a civilian capacity Joseph is the author of numerous diver-training manuals, a co-author of the book “Tao of Survival Underwater”, a contributing author to Hyperbaric Medical Practice (4th edition) and the Navy Diving Manual, and has been published in several journals including those produced by the American Society of Naval Engineers and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Now that he is retired from almost 28 years of active service, he earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of South Florida and is a clinical researcher in the field of hyperbarics.

After his Army service, the clinic Vice President, Mario Caruso, CHT-A, DMT, EMT-P, began his career in hyperbaric/diving medicine at NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) in Miami, Florida, in the early 1980’s, where he was trained as a Hyperbaric Technologist, Diver Medic, and Multiplace chamber operator. His experience spans both Multiplace and Monoplace hyperbaric chambers systems, and rescue diving operations. He is also graduate of Broward County Fire Academy and completed training as an EMT/Paramedic at Miami-Dade Medical Center campus and was one of the first people to be formally trained as a Hyperbaric Safety Director. Mario is a UHMS Hyperbaric Facility Accreditation Surveyor, who is well versed in NFPA codes and regulations and was appointed to serve on the NFPA Standards Committee on Hyperbaric and Hypobaric Facilities in 2007. He is also the recipient of several community service awards and authored several abstracts on hyperbaric medicine presented at the UHMS Annual Scientific meetings and Chapter meetings.

The Undersea Oxygen Clinic is broken into 4 functional areas.
1) They provide training and certification in Hyperbaric Medicine for physicians and practitioners (40 AMA-1 CMEs) as well as those medically trained professionals who want to start a hyperbaric clinic or refer patients who need hyperbarics.

2) World class Biomedical Engineering research. Using knowledge from their life long ventures they work on new concepts and ideas concerning human physiology and try to solve problems people experience daily by using hyperbarics. Then they write peer reviewed scientific research to either confirm or refute their hypothesis.

3) We boast Western Florida’s only 24/7/365 diver emergency treatment center for divers. As divers ourselves, we wanted to ensure that, as a service to the community, we offered 100% coverage to the divers who are in need. While other chambers are reducing services to divers, we stand at the ready to treat them should they need us. Additionally, we work diligently to train and educate divers in safer practices for SCUBA diving using cutting edge research.

4) As seems evident, the clinic is available for daily hyperbaric treatments for those in need! We treat everything from wound care and wellness to radiation damage and thermal burns.

At the UOC we have taken steps to eliminate contact between patients. We have taken precautionary measures in addition to our already stringent cleanliness standard in response to COVID-19 for your safety and we remain open to help those in need of medical attention.

To find out more about HBOT and Undersea Oxygen Clinic, please call 813-533-7093 or visit Underseaoxygenclinic.com.

References:
(1) Hyperbaric Medicine Practice 4th Edition, Whelan, H., Kindwall, E. et al. Best Publishing Company. Publication 2017 Jun 1; Fourth ed: (Multiple chapters).
(2) Stem cell mobilization by hyperbaric oxygen, Thom, S. Bhopale, V. Velazq, O. et al, American Journal of Physiology Heart Circulation Physiology 290: H1378 –H1386, 2006. doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00888.2005.