European Journal of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine (Volume 5, Supplement 1, December 2004): "A European Code of Good Practice for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy"

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a treatment modality using oxygen breathed under high pressure. The expected therapeutic benefits are an increase in oxygen diffusion into tissues, anti-oedematous and anti-infectious effects, and promotion of healing. Introduced in the medical therapeutic armament in the early sixties, HBOT has been widely used but its development is presently restrained by a lack of sufficient patho-physiological and clinical evidence and some safety concerns. The COST program is a European program aiming to implement and improve cooperation between European research teams in the field of Science and Technique. Thanks to the efforts of our Belgian colleagues, a specific action devoted to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (Action COST B14) was launched in December 1998. Nineteen European countries, members or associated to the European Union, participate.
The main objective of this action is to improve the knowledge required for rational use of HBOT, to issue guidelines for the implementation and development of clinical HBOT centres and to provide scientifically sound recommendations for HBOT treatment of various diseases and conditions.