Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Practice Exam

HBOT indications are conditions where increasing tissue oxygen under pressure can improve healing, reduce infection, or address hypoxia. The common cold is a viral upper respiratory infection that does not involve a wound or tissue hypoxia that HBOT can target, and there’s no proven benefit to using HBOT for colds, so it isn’t listed as an HBOT indication. In contrast, radiation injury is a well-established indication because irradiated tissues tend to be hypoxic and poorly perfused, and high-pressure oxygen helps promote healing and tissue repair. Complex regional pain syndrome is sometimes treated with HBOT to help inflammation and circulation in certain patients, though it isn’t universally listed as a standard indication. Fibromyalgia has limited and debated evidence for HBOT and is not considered a standard indication.