One of the ideas highlighted by the experts who participated in the scientific seminar on the integral recovery of the amputated patient, organised by the UCAM Chair of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, was that the world surrounding the person who has suffered an amputation is very complex from many points of view.

Doctor José Fabregat, director of the Chair, lectured on the latest developments in the medical use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy: “It has some recognised indications which, as a result of clinical experience and research, are growing”. With regard to its application to people who have suffered an amputation, he pointed out that one of the fields in which great efficacy has been shown is the treatment of chronic pain and, significantly, of neuropathic pain, acting in a beneficial way on the peripheral nerve. “Medical practice has allowed us to see how amputees with phantom limb pain badly controlled with traditional means, greatly improved with treatment in hyperbaric chamber”, he said.

Soraia Cristina Tonon da Luz, a physiotherapist and vice-chancellor of UDESC Santa Catarina State University (Brazil) also participated in the seminar. According to what she stated during her intervention, for all professionals of the multidisciplinary team that treats amputees, “the integral rehabilitation of the patient continues to be a challenge, since the complexity of each case requires the team to be very updated and attentive to the follow-up of the treatment”.

Another speaker was Carlos Ventosa, vice-president of the Spanish National Association of Amputees, who pointed out that they “are trying, through the Ministry of Health, to see if it is possible to protocolise multidisciplinary teams in hospitals, so that the moment an amputee enters everything is implemented. Including the psychologists, who are not present currently and whose role is very important”.

During the event, the University-specific Master’s Degree in Hyperbaric and Subaquatic Medicine was presented. This Degree was launched this academic year and its goal is to train professionals in the field of hyperbaric medicine in order to gain access to clinical practice and to disseminate and give visibility to the hyperbaric oxygen therapy.