What do we know about hyperbaric chamber explosions?

A hyperbaric chamber at a Troy medical centre in Michigan exploded on Friday morning, leaving a 5-year-old boy dead on the spot.

The fire erupted inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber around 8:00am when the child was being treated in that chamber.

On information, emergency responders rushed to the spot and found the boy dead inside the chamber.

However, the child’s mother was injured as she was near the chamber when it exploded and suffered injuries to her arms.

Police did not say why the child was being treated there.

The cause behind the explosion is still unknown and the probe is going on, according to a statement issued by Andrew Kistner, spokesman of The Oxford Center.

 Investigators primarily think that intense oxygen and the pressure used in hyperbaric chambers might be behind the fire.

What is the hyperbaric chamber?

According to the Mayo Clinic, the chamber is an enclosed space that delivers pure oxygen to the body with higher than normal air pressure.

Air pressure is increased 2 to 3 times higher than normal air pressure during the oxygen therapy in the chamber.

People use hyperbaric chambers for limb-saving, life-saving, and tissue-saving treatments. Hyperbaric chambers are also used for other treatments, such as low red blood cell counts due to blood loss and sudden hearing loss.