Peptide Glossary
A–Z reference guide to peptide research terminology
A
- Air Break
- A scheduled 5-minute interval during HBOT when the patient breathes chamber air (or lower-FiO₂ gas) instead of 100% oxygen. Air breaks reduce the risk of CNS oxygen toxicity and are standard practi… Read more →
- Angiogenesis
- The formation of new blood vessels from existing vasculature. HBOT upregulates angiogenesis via hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α) stabilisation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release… Read more →
- ATA (Atmospheres Absolute)
- A unit of pressure used in hyperbaric medicine. 1 ATA equals normal atmospheric pressure at sea level (14.7 psi, 760 mmHg). Clinical HBOT typically uses 2.0–2.4 ATA; emergency indications use 2.8–3… Read more →
B
- Barotrauma
- Tissue injury caused by pressure differentials. The most common HBOT adverse event is middle-ear barotrauma — pain or injury from failure to equalise pressure in the Eustachian tube. Rare but serio… Read more →
C
- CMS Reimbursement
- Coverage of HBOT by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS reimburses HBOT for the 14 UHMS-approved indications at UHMS-accredited hospital-based facilities, typically at 2.4 ATA. O… Read more →
- CO Poisoning (Carbon Monoxide Poisoning)
- A UHMS-approved emergency HBOT indication. Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen on haemoglobin; HBOT at 2.8–3.0 ATA accelerates CO displacement and reduces delayed neurocognitive sequelae. The Weaver 2… Read more →
D
- DCS (Decompression Sickness)
- A diving injury caused by nitrogen gas bubbles forming in blood and tissue as pressure decreases too quickly. A UHMS-approved HBOT indication; treatment uses US Navy Treatment Table 6 at 2.8 ATA, o… Read more →
- Diabetic Ulcer (Diabetic Foot Ulcer)
- A chronic lower-extremity wound in diabetic patients. UHMS-approved indication for HBOT at 2.4 ATA for Wagner Grade 3 or higher. Multiple RCTs demonstrate improved healing rates and reduced amputat… Read more →
E
- Efrati Lab (Efrati Research Lab)
- The research group led by Dr. Shai Efrati at Tel Aviv University and the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine. The leading HBOT research group globally for neurological indications, with major publ… Read more →
F
- Fibromyalgia
- A chronic widespread pain condition. Research-stage HBOT indication; Efrati et al. 2015 showed significant symptom improvement and brain-imaging changes after 40 sessions at 2.0 ATA. Not FDA-approv… Read more →
H
- Hard-Shell Chamber
- A rigid-walled hyperbaric chamber (steel, aluminum, or thick acrylic) capable of true medical HBOT pressures (2.0–3.0 ATA). All FDA-cleared medical HBOT devices are hard-shell. Contrast with soft-s… Read more →
- HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy)
- A medical treatment in which a patient breathes 100% oxygen inside a chamber pressurised above atmospheric pressure. The elevated pressure dissolves additional oxygen directly into blood plasma, dr… Read more →
- HIF-1α (Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1-alpha)
- A transcription factor that regulates cellular response to oxygen availability. HBOT paradoxically stabilises HIF-1α (via oxidative stress signalling), driving downstream angiogenesis, stem cell mo… Read more →
M
- mmHg (Millimeters of Mercury)
- A unit of pressure. Normal atmospheric pressure at sea level is 760 mmHg. Arterial oxygen tension (PaO₂) during HBOT at 2.0 ATA with 100% O₂ exceeds 1,000 mmHg — compared with ~100 mmHg at normal a… Read more →
- Monoplace Chamber
- A single-patient hyperbaric chamber pressurised with 100% oxygen, typically operating at 2.0–3.0 ATA. The dominant configuration in US hospital-based HBOT. Patient lies in a transparent cylindrical… Read more →
- Multiplace Chamber
- A large steel hyperbaric vessel treating multiple patients simultaneously. The chamber is pressurised with air; patients breathe 100% oxygen through masks or hoods. Allows attending medical staff t… Read more →
O
- Osteoradionecrosis
- Bone necrosis caused by prior radiation therapy, most commonly affecting the mandible after head and neck cancer treatment. A UHMS-approved HBOT indication (as part of delayed radiation injury) wit… Read more →
- Oxygen Toxicity
- Adverse effects from breathing oxygen at elevated partial pressures. CNS oxygen toxicity (seizures) is rare at ≤2.4 ATA and mitigated by scheduled air breaks. Pulmonary oxygen toxicity is a cumulat… Read more →
P
- PaO₂ (Arterial Oxygen Tension)
- The partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood. Normal breathing air at sea level produces PaO₂ around 100 mmHg. HBOT at 2.0 ATA with 100% O₂ elevates PaO₂ above 1,000 mmHg — the physiological ba… Read more →
- Pneumothorax
- Collapsed lung due to air in the pleural space. The one absolute contraindication to HBOT — pressurisation can convert a stable pneumothorax to a tension pneumothorax during decompression. Chest im… Read more →
S
- Soft-Shell Chamber (Soft-Shell Chamber (Mild HBOT))
- A portable fabric-walled hyperbaric chamber operating at ~1.3 ATA with ambient air plus supplemental oxygen (typically 85–95%). FDA-cleared only for altitude sickness. Clinical efficacy at 1.3 ATA … Read more →
T
- TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)
- Brain injury from external mechanical force. Research-stage HBOT indication; Hadanny & Efrati have published multiple RCTs showing cognitive improvement at 2.0 ATA over 40–60 sessions in mild-to-mo… Read more →
- TcPO₂ (Transcutaneous Oxygen Measurement)
- A non-invasive measurement of tissue oxygen tension through the skin. Used to assess wound-healing potential and to monitor response to HBOT in diabetic ulcer and radiation injury protocols. Requir… Read more →
U
- UHMS (Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society)
- The international professional society and clinical authority for hyperbaric medicine. UHMS maintains the authoritative list of 14 approved HBOT indications, publishes clinical guidelines, and oper… Read more →
V
- Valsalva Manoeuvre
- A technique for equalising middle-ear pressure during compression — pinch the nose, close the mouth, and attempt to gently exhale. One of several equalisation techniques taught before HBOT. Patient… Read more →
W
- Weaver Protocol (Weaver Carbon Monoxide Protocol)
- The standard-of-care HBOT protocol for acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Based on Weaver et al. 2002 NEJM RCT: three sessions in the first 24 hours, the first at 3.0 ATA followed by two at 2.0 ATA. … Read more →