September 3, 2013

Use of a new form of treatment, known as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), is being lauded by companies producing the devices used in the procedures as being capable of curing numerous conditions. The Texas Defective Medical Device Attorneys with Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a statement saying many of these claims are unfounded though.

The FDA press release indicated companies who are manufacturing the chambers have stated conditions such as autism, AIDS/HIV, and Parkinson’s disease, can all be relieved through HBOT treatments. The devices work by having the patients placed inside a pressurized chamber, where they then breathe oxygen. The increased pressure allows the lungs to take in three times as much oxygen as they would outside the chamber.

The FDA has stated the devices have been approved for use in patients who are sickened as the result of pressure changes in diving accidents. The agency explains it has not approved the device for use in treatments of many other conditions they are being used for. These unapproved uses could lead to a patient’s condition worsening.

The FDA asks patients not to undergo HBOT treatments unless the agency has approved the patient’s condition for such care.

The law firm’s team of Texas Personal Injury Lawyers would also encourage anyone who has been harmed by an unapproved treatment recommended by a doctor to discuss their legal rights with an attorney.