Jacobi Medical Center is home to a world-class hyperbaric medicine facility, serving as a vital regional and national life-saving resource. Operating in strict accordance with the standards of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), we provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for both acute emergencies and elective clinical indications.
A Regional & National Destination for Hyperbaric Care
- The Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) Referral Center: Jacobi is the designated New York City referral center for DAN, coordinating specialized care for recreational and commercial divers.
- U.S. Navy Authorized Primary Recompression Chamber: We serve as a trusted, military-authorized primary recompression facility for naval personnel and emergency maritime operations.
- The Region’s Only 24/7 Emergency Chamber: We operate the only hyperbaric facility in the entire region capable of accepting and treating emergency cases 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Our Multi-Patient Chamber
Our facility features a massive 23-foot-long, walk-in, multi-person (multiplace) hyperbaric chamber.
- Capacity: It comfortably accommodates up to nine patients simultaneously.
- Pediatric Access: Designed to treat patients across the entire lifespan, our chamber safely accommodates all age ranges, including infants and young children.
- Critical Care Capability: Unlike single-person (monoplace) tubes, our walk-in chamber allows critical care physicians and respiratory therapists to stand directly at the bedside inside the chamber, providing hands-on treatment and monitoring during active pressurization.
Clinical Indications Treated
We manage a diverse array of emergency and outpatient clinical pathologies:
Emergency Interventions (24/7)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Decompression sickness (“the bends”)
- Arterial gas embolisms
- Gas gangrene and necrotizing soft-tissue infections
- Microvascular compromises (including salvaged or avulsed ears, noses, and fingers)
Elective Outpatient Treatments
- Soft-tissue radionecrosis and osteoradionecrosis
- Hemorrhagic radiation cystitis
- Chronic refractory osteomyelitis
- Compromised skin grafts and tissue flaps
- Complex, non-healing diabetic and ischemic wounds
The Residency Experience
Very few Emergency Medicine programs in the country house a 24/7 multiplace hyperbaric chamber. At Jacobi, our residents gain unparalleled, first-hand exposure to the physics and clinical applications of hyperbaric medicine.
As a resident, you will:
- Participate in the acute resuscitation of patients suffering from severe carbon monoxide poisoning, rapid decompression illness, and necrotizing infections.
- Learn the clinical physiology of hyperbaric medicine, understanding gas laws, pressure changes, and oxygen toxicity under the direct guidance of board-certified specialists.
- Understand the logistics of managing complex transfers from dive sites and other regional emergency departments.