Development and Application of a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber-Based Index of Emergency Medical Response in Disasters

Introduction: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) is often required in various disaster situations, such as fires, explosions, chemical accidents, and ship sinking rescues. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers (HBOCs) capable of performing such treatment are key resources for responding to disasters. As such, their quantity and placement must be appropriate. In this study, assuming a disaster situation that requires multiple HBOCs to be deployed simultaneously, the author investigated and analyzed the regional deployment status of HBOCs in Korea and their adequacy for toxic gas disasters based on medical institutions with HBOCs, and developed a scoring index to express this. Methods: In the event of a disaster requiring HBOT, all hospitals with HBOCs in Korea could theoretically participate, so hospitals with HBOCs were examined. The distribution of HBOCs by region, type, and population was then analyzed, as well as the ability to perform simultaneous HBOT and HBOT in disasters by region. The results were used to derive the Critical Patient Response Index (CPRI) and Total Patient Response Index (TPRI) for hazardous gases and comparison by region. Results: In Korea, a survey of HBOCs over the past 15 years found that the first wave of expansion in 2015-2016 and the second wave of expansion since 2019 have resulted in increased deployment in previously underserved areas. However, when analyzed based on population base, concurrent capacity, and treatment performance, the deployment of HBOCs was skewed toward some regions. Expressed as an index, the CPRI ranged from 0.045 to 1.5, and the TPRI ranged from 0.215 to 3.222, allowing for a clear comparison of disaster response capabilities. Conclusion: The index developed in this study has limitations, as it may not include all actual hospitals and may not reflect differences in human resources or operations. Nevertheless, the index can be used objectively and relatively to represent a region’s ability to respond to disasters requiring HBOT.