Cincinnati - The University Hospital Center for Hyperbaric Medicine will host an open house for health care providers, general public and the news media, April 13, 2 - 5 p.m., at University Hospital, 234 Goodman Street. Physicians and members of the hyperbaric team will be available to discuss the clinical applications of, and answer questions about, hyperbaric medicine.

"The air we breathe contains 21 percent oxygen," said Laurie Gesell, M.D., director of the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, toxicologist and assistant professor of medicine with the UC College of Medicine. "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides 100 percent pure oxygen in a pressurized treatment chamber and offers distinct therapeutic benefits." These hyperbaric (or high pressure) doses of oxygen treatment occur while patients lie comfortably in a treatment chamber. Generally, patients feel no differently than if they were lying in their own bed.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used to:

· Enhance wound healing

· Increase oxygen delivery to injured tissue

· Improve infection control

· Produce greater blood vessel formation

· Preserve damaged tissues

· Eliminate and reduce effects of toxic substances like carbon monoxide

· Reduce or eliminate gas-bubble obstructions

The University Hospital Center for Hyperbaric Medicine is the most experienced center of its kind in the Tristate. The Center offers physician leaders in the field of hyperbaric medicine; brand new, state-of-the-art hyperbaric chambers; a full, dedicated staff trained in hyperbaric medicine; a full range of outpatient services, including hyperbaric medicine for chronic wound patients; and 24-hour accessibility for emergencies, such as carbon monoxide poisoning.

For more information about the Center's services, call 513-584-4262. The University Hospital is a part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.

-30-