Hyperbaric medicine involves the use of barometric pressure great er than that at sea level for the treatment of diseases. The term makes no distinction between air, oxygen or any other gas used as a medium of compression. Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) refers to the use of pure oxygen for breathing in a hyperbaric chamber via a mask or similar device or breathing freely in a monoplace chamber pressurized with oxygen. HBO is an intermittent, high dose oxygen inhalation therapy. We have confined ourselves to the subject of HBO therapy and have not included oxygen therapy at normobaric pressures. With the exception of decompression sick ness we have made no attempt to cover diving medicine as many excellent treatises are available on this SUbject. Literature on HBO is extensive, and we estimate that the total number of publication on the subject of hyperbaric medicine dur ing the past 150 years exceeds 20000, nearly half published during the past 30 years. No comprehensive textbook on this topic has ever been written in English, nor is there any bibliography more up to date than 1965. The books on the subject have consisted of monographs, reports of symposia and proceedings of the various international congresses on hyperbaric medicine. No definitive work has been published in the past 10 years.

I. Basic Aspects

1. Historical Aspects of Hyperbaric Oxygenation
2. Physical and Physiological Basis of Hyperbaric Oxygenation
3. Hypoxia
4. Biochemical and Metabolic Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygenation
5. Oxygen Toxicity
6. Hyperbaric Chambers, Equipment, Safety, Complications and Contraindications (E. Braun)
II. Clinical Applications
7. Decompression Sickness
8. Air Embolism
9. Carbon Monoxide and Other Tissue Poisons
10. Role of Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Treatment of Infections
11. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Plastic Surgery and Dermatology
12. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Traumatology and Orthopedics
13. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
14. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Disorders of the Nervous System
15. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Disorders of the Blood
16. Hyperbaric Oxygen in Peripheral Vascular Disease
17. Hyperbaric Oxygenation and Ophthalmology
18. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Gastroenterology and Diseases of the Liver
19. Hyperbaric Oxygenation and Endocrinology
20. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Pulmonary Disorders
21. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Obstetrics and Neonatology
22. Anesthesia in Hyperbaric Environments
23. Hyperbaric Oxygenation and Radiotherapy for Cancer
24. Drug Interactions with Hyperbaric Oxygenation
25. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Immunosuppression and Organ Preservation
26. Hyperbaric Oxygenation as an Adjunct in Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine
27. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Geriatrics
28. Psychological and Psychiatric Aspects of Hyperbaric Oxygenation
29. Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Otorhinolaryngology (M.Pilgramm)
30. The Ninth International Congress on Hyperbaric Medicine: Highlights
31. Conclusions, Research and Future of Hyperbaric Oxygenation
References
Appendixes
1. Abbreviations of Terms Used in Literature on Hyperbaric Oxygenation
2. Oxygen
3. World Distribution of Hyperbaric Chambers
4. Manufacturers of Hyperbaric Equipment
5. Indications for Hyperbaric Oxygenation Approved for Payment- by Health Insurance Schemes as Recommended by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, USA, 1986
6. Glossary
7. Neuromotor Disability Evaluation Scale (Marroni).