History
of the chamber at Whipps Cross University Hospital.
The Hyperbaric
Unit at Whipps Cross Hospital was the first department of its kind in
London; and by the 1990’s it was the last. It was established from
the beginning as part of the National Health Service.
The Hyperbaric Unit was
founded in 1965, as a research facility for Vickers, using the first
monoplace chamber produced by them for clinical use. This chamber remained
in clinical service until 1992, when it was sold to the Wellcome Foundation
as a piece of medical equipment history. The oxygen for the department
was initially supplied from cylinders which were carried on trolleys
pushed around the hospital by trainee anaesthetists.
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| The original "Lotus"
Chamber purchased in the late 1960's. Now in the British Museum. |
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| Vickers
Monoplace Chamber Nr. 001. The first chamber ever manufactured
by Vickers UK for hyperbaric use. Built in 1965,
last used in 1998, now in the British museum.
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The second
monoplace chamber (a ‘Lotus’ bed) was installed in the late
1960’s by public subscription from the residents of Walthamstow.
This followed the successful treatment of a professional dancer, whose
leg had been crushed in a road traffic accident.
The first
Medical Director was Dr. Ken Slack, a Consultant Anaesthetist; and the
first research fellow was Dr. Gillian Hanson, a Physician who went on
to establish the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Together with Dr.
Bill Chew and Dr. David Thomas (both trainee anaesthetists at the time),
they published pioneering work on the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen in clostridial
myonecrosis and refractory osteomyelitis.
The department
was also one of the centres for a multi-centre trial into the management
of multiple sclerosis in the 1980's; however, it is no longer used for
this application.
In 1988,
contact was made with the Guy's Hospital Poisons Unit and the
Institute of Naval Medicine; and by 1994, Whipps Cross Hospital was the
busiest single referral centre for emergency hyperbaric oxygen treatment
in the UK. The department was also used after 1988 for a variety of elective
referrals from throughout the southeast of England.
In 1992,
the Whipps Cross Hospital Hyperbaric Unit became the first to use a standard
dataset for treating carbon monoxide poisoning; and a national audit followed.
The department
held the Chair of the British Hyperbaric Association between 1992 and
1994. During this time, the Association introduced its national gazetteer
of hyperbaric services, wrote its Core Curriculum for training and education
of hyperbaric facility personnel,and drafted a Royal College of Physicians
report on guidelines for good practice in Hyperbaric Medicine.
The evolution
of the Hyperbaric Unit into London Hyperbaric Medicine Ltd., in partnership
with Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust was a natural step, through
which the service has come to realise its full potential.
2002 (Sept)
After a European tendering procedure lasting 18 months the contract for
a Private Public Partnership (PPP) / Private Finance Initiave (PFI) with
the Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS-Trust was awarded to Sayers
Hyperbaric & Diving Systems.
Construction of the modular
prefabricated building commenced in October 2000 in Bremen - Germany,
and the whole unit together with the pre-fitted Therapy Chamber arrived
at the hospital on the 30th January 2001. The bulding was assembled
by the Feb. 6th and the Hyperbaric Chamber System comissioned on March
21st. London Hyperbaric Medicine Ltd. treated it's first patient on
April 1st. 2001
Other
important dates
1990 - Formation
of British Isles Group of Hyperbaric Therapists - set up to promote the
understanding and safe practice of Hyperbaric medicine, and to provide
a forum for discussion of hyperbaric therapy practice in the British Isles.
1993 - British
Isles Group of Hyperbaric Therapists renamed the British Hyperbaric Association
(BHA) and compilation of the constitution of the British Hyperbaric Association
1994 - Publication
of BHA Fire Safety Report
1994 - Publication
of Cox Report
Reference: Royal College of Physicians of London (Faculty of Occupational
Medicine), A Code of Good Working Practice for the Operation and Staffing
of Hyperbaric Chambers for Therapeutic Purposes (1994)
1995 - Publication
of BHA Gazetteer
Reference: British Hyperbaric Association. Register of Member Chambers
2nd ed. (1998)
1996 - Publication
of BHA Fire Safety Support
Reference: British Hyperbaric Association. Guide to Fire Safety Standards
for Hyperbaric Treatment Centres. A Working Party Report (1996)
1996 - Publication
of BHA Electrical Safety Report
Reference: British Hyperbaric Association. Guide to Electrical Safety
Standards for Hyperbaric Treatment Centres. A Working Party Report (1996)
1998
- Fourth European Consensus Conference - London
Reference: European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine. Consensus Conference
on Hyperbaric Oxygen in the Treatment of Foot Lesions in Diabetic Patients
(1998)
2005-
Lhm hosted the BHA AGM and conference aboard HMS Belfast on the River
Thames.
2006-LHM
changed its name to London Hyperbaric and Wouund Care Centre
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