Historical development of hyperbaric oxygenation in the world
1772 Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swedish chemist, discovers oxygen, calling it "flame air".
1774. Joseph Priestly, a British chemist, repeating the experiments of his predecessor, also "discovers" oxygen, and his name is traditionally associated with the historical fact of the discovery of oxygen, although this is in fact incorrect.
1789 Lavoisier and Seguin describe the toxic effects of oxygen.
In 1796, Beddoes and Watt wrote the first book on oxygen therapy.
1878 Paul Bert, "the father of modern physiology", scientifically explains oxygen toxicity, recommending the treatment of decompression sickness with normobaric oxygen, but not with pressurized oxygen.
In 1895, John Scott Haldane, the "father of stepped decompression", showed that mice poisoned with carbon monoxide did not develop symptoms of poisoning under hyperbaric oxygen conditions at 2.0 bar.
1937. Hyperbaric oxygenation was first used to treat decompression sickness (Behnke and Shaw).
1938. Brazilians Ozorio de Almeida and Costa use hyperbaric oxygenation to treat leprosy.
1942. Americans End and Long experimentally use hyperbaric oxygenation to treat carbon monoxide poisoning in laboratory animals.
1954 In Great Britain, hyperbaric oxygenation is used to increase the radiosensitivity of malignant tumors (Churchill-Davidson).
1956. Dutchman Boerema, the father of modern hyperbaric medicine, begins performing heart surgeries in a hyperbaric chamber - an operating room.
1960. Boerema proves on pigs the possibility of maintaining life without blood under conditions of breathing oxygen at pressure.
1961. Boerema and Brummelkamp successfully treat gas gangrene with hyperbaric oxygenation. The British Smith proves the protective effect of hyperbaric oxygenation in cerebral ischemia.
In 1962, the British Illingworth demonstrated the benefit of using hyperbaric oxygenation in arterial occlusion of the lower extremities.
1963. First International Congress of Hyperbaric Medicine in Amsterdam.
In 1965, the British Perrins reported on the beneficial effects of hyperbaric oxygenation in the treatment of osteomyelitis.
In 1966, the American Saltzman pointed out the usefulness of hyperbaric oxygenation in stroke patients.
1970 In Czechoslovakia, Boschetty and Cernoch apply hyperbaric oxygenation in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
1971. German Lamm uses hyperbaric oxygenation to treat sudden hearing loss. The European Underwater and Baromedical Society (EUBS) is formed.
1973. Thurston proves the reduction of mortality by the use of hyperbaric oxygenation in patients with heart attack.
1970 The expansion of hyperbaric medicine in Japan and the USSR begins.
1980 The development and expansion of hyperbaric medicine in China begins.
1983 Dr. Neubauer forms and leads the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine.
1986. The American Undersea Medical Society becomes the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, thus growing into a world federation.
1987. Swiss Jain introduces HBOT to physical rehabilitation, reducing spasticity in patients with hemiplegia after stroke.
1988. The International Society of Hyperbaric Medicine is created.
1989. The European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine (ECHM) is founded.
In 1994, the first consensus conference on hyperbaric medicine was held in France (Lille) and the European consensus list of accepted indications for HBOT was established.
1996. The first edition of the book "Handbook of Hyperbaric Medicine" edited by Oriani, Maroni and Wattel is published.
In 2005, Prof. Mathieu produced the second edition of the book "Handbook of Hyperbaric Medicine"
Historical development of HBOT in Croatia
1967. In the Rijeka magazine "Bilten", the bulletin of the then "Braće dr. Sobol" Hospital, Prof. Dr. Sc. Ljubomir Ribarić publishes for the first time in a Croatian magazine an article on the possibilities of applying hyperbaric oxygenation, presenting his experiences from the Netherlands. Unfortunately, Rijeka never got its own hyperbaric chamber.
1969. In the Institute of Maritime Medicine in Split, prof. Dr. Gošović and his colleagues begin the application of hyperbaric oxygenation in clinical medicine. In the following years, research studies and publications by Split doctors reveal or confirm the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygenation in the treatment of Bell's palsy, Crohn's disease, open-angle glaucoma, atherosclerotic vascular disease and sudden deafness. Hyperbaric medicine becomes part of the specialization in naval medicine that is carried out at the Institute for the needs of military medicine.
1991 - 1995. Due to war wounds and conditions after surgical procedures after injury, the Institute successfully treated 200 of the most seriously wounded during the Homeland War, and the experience gained is the largest in the world. The Institute's multi-seat pressure chamber operates continuously for the needs of clinical medicine, and it works in the care of the wounded for 1200 uninterrupted days and nights, which is an undertaking on a global scale.
1992. At the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka, Dr. Hasan Kovačević, later the first director of the Polyclinic, defended the first doctorate in Croatia in the field of hyperbaric oxygenation, entitled "Investigating the effects of hyperbaric oxygen in patients with the second stage of atherosclerotic insufficiency of the lower extremities".
In 1993 , the Croatian list of indications for hyperbaric medicine was published for the first time in the Rijeka magazine "Medicina". Many doctors then heard about the existence of this method for the first time.
1993. At the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rijeka, organized undergraduate classes in maritime, underwater and hyperbaric medicine began for medical students in their final year of general medicine studies, which are still being conducted today, while diving medicine and hyperbaric oxygenation are taught to postgraduate students in Tourism, Maritime and Tropical Medicine.
In 1995, the first general medicine practice with a one-room pressure chamber was opened in Split.
1996. The OXY Polyclinic for Baromedicine with a multi-seat pressure chamber was opened in Pula, the first health institution in Croatia specializing in treatment using hyperbaric oxygenation.
1996. In July, the Croatian Society for Maritime, Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine of the Croatian Medical Association was founded in Split, which brings together 200 of the most distinguished Croatian doctors from all areas of medicine, clinical and preventive, in Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Šibenik, Split and Dubrovnik.
1996. In September, the First Scientific Colloquium was held in Split on the topic "Maritime, Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine in Croatia: Experiences and Possibilities".
1998. The 1st Croatian Congress of Maritime, Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine was held in Split.
In 1999, a symposium entitled "Selected Chapters in Hyperbaric Oxygenation" was held in Split, marking 30 years of hyperbaric medicine in Croatia;
1999. With the help of the OXY Polyclinic, a single-seat oxygen-pressurized hyperbaric chamber was established at the Osijek Clinical Hospital Center.
2001. The Ministry of Health Working Group for the Application of Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Clinical Medicine was established, although its proposals would not be accepted for a long time.
In 2001, the 1st Congress of the Alps-Adriatic Working Community on Marine, Underwater and Hyperbaric Oxygenation was held in Opatija, which brought Croatian hyperbaric medicine to the big doors and onto the international scene.
In 2006, the II. Congress of the Alps-Adriatic Working Community for Marine, Underwater and Hyperbaric Oxygenation.
2008. The Croatian Health Insurance Institute adopted the Croatian List of Indications for Hyperbaric Oxygenation in July, which began treatment with this method with a doctor's referral, in accordance with a strictly defined list.
2010. At the Faculty of Medicine in Split, through the efforts of the then dean, Prof. Dr. Matko Marušić, the compulsory general medicine study program includes courses in hyperbaric oxygenation, placing that faculty among the very top in the world.
In 2013, a Croatian translation of the book "Textbook of Hyperbaric Medicine" by KK Jain, MD was published under the title "Textbook of Hyperbaric Medicine", published by Poliklinika OXY