Medically reviewed by Uri Gedalia, MD, FACS
Chief Medical Officer, TrufaMED Urgent Care & Concierge Medicine
Board-Certified, General Surgery
Last reviewed: August 2026
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical intervention, not a spa service. The chamber pressure, session duration, total course length, and supervising clinician all affect the clinical outcome. Patients booking HBOT often do not know what to ask before the first session.
This post is the question list. Get specific answers to these before signing a package agreement.
About The Indication
- What is the clinical indication my HBOT plan is being built for?
- What evidence supports HBOT for this indication?
- What is the realistic expected benefit, and over what timeline?
- What is the realistic risk of no benefit?
- What other interventions should I be doing alongside HBOT?
About The Pressure
- What pressure (ATA) will my sessions run at?
- Why that specific pressure for my indication?
- Will the pressure change during the course of treatment?
- Are there options for higher or lower pressure based on response?
Common pressures by indication: wellness 1.3 to 1.5 ATA, post-surgical recovery 1.5 to 2.0 ATA, long COVID 1.5 to 2.0 ATA, chronic wound 2.0 to 2.4 ATA.
About The Protocol
- How long is each session?
- How many sessions per week?
- What is the total expected course length?
- What are the response checkpoints — when do we assess whether the treatment is working?
- What happens if I do not respond?
Standard session length is 60 to 90 minutes. Acute and recovery protocols run 5 to 20 sessions; longer indications run 30 to 40 sessions.
About The Chamber
- Is this a hard-shell medical-grade chamber or a soft-shell mild HBOT chamber?
- What FDA clearance does the chamber hold?
- Is oxygen delivered through a mask, hood, or ambient chamber atmosphere?
- How is pressure controlled and monitored during the dive?
About The Clinical Team
- Who is the supervising physician?
- What are their credentials in hyperbaric medicine?
- Is the supervising physician on premises during sessions, or remote?
- Who handles emergencies if I have an issue during a dive?
A board-certified physician with hyperbaric medicine training or relevant clinical experience should be overseeing the program. On-premises availability during sessions is the higher safety standard.
About Safety
- What contraindication screening do you do at intake?
- What conditions exclude me from HBOT?
- What side effects should I expect?
- What is your emergency response plan if something goes wrong during a dive?
Standard contraindication screen: untreated pneumothorax, certain ear and lung conditions, specific medications, severe claustrophobia, active asthma exacerbation, pregnancy (relative), recent eye surgery.
About Pricing And Coverage
- What is the per-session price?
- What does the package include — does it cover the consultation, contraindication screening, and reassessments?
- Is my indication potentially covered by insurance?
- What is the refund policy if I cannot complete the course?
About Integration
- Can you coordinate with my primary care physician, neurologist, surgeon, or specialist?
- Can you handle other related care (lab work, IV therapy, follow-up) on the same site?
- What happens if I have a clinical question between sessions?
- Can my surgeon’s office communicate with you directly about my post-operative protocol?
What Answers Should Look Like
Good answers are specific and not defensive. Pressure is a number tailored to your indication, not a default. Course length is a clinical estimate based on your case and likely response. The supervising physician is named, credentialed, and reachable. Emergency response is documented. Pricing is transparent.
If a provider cannot give specific answers to these questions, choose a different one. HBOT is a serious medical intervention and the clinical floor matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know my chamber is medical-grade?
Ask for the FDA clearance documentation. Medical-grade monoplace chambers have specific FDA clearances; soft-shell chambers are cleared at lower pressure for over-the-counter use.
How fast should I feel benefit?
Highly variable. Some patients feel acute changes within sessions 5 to 10. Long-protocol patients see cumulative benefit at sessions 20 to 30.
Can I move pressure up if I am tolerating it?
Yes — many programs start at 1.5 ATA and increase if tolerated and clinically appropriate.
Where can I learn more about TrufaMED’s program?
Our hyperbaric oxygen therapy page covers our chamber, supervising physicians, and program structure.