Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a treatment where a patient breathes pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. During this therapy, the patient is exposed to oxygen at higher pressure than normal atmospheric pressure. This allows more oxygen to dissolve in the blood and reach damaged tissues, potentially helping to improve hearing loss.

Standard Care Treatment for sudden hearing loss typically includes oral steroids and other conventional medical treatments that doctors normally use to treat sudden hearing loss. This is the basic treatment that all patients receive according to current medical guidelines.

The combination of these treatments is being studied to determine if adding hyperbaric oxygen therapy to standard care can lead to better hearing outcomes in patients with sudden, unexplained hearing loss.

Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ISSNHL) – A condition characterized by rapid and unexplained hearing loss that develops over a period of up to 72 hours. It typically affects one ear and occurs when there is damage to the inner ear or the nerve pathways between the inner ear and the brain. The hearing loss is considered “sensorineural” because it stems from problems in the inner ear or auditory nerve, rather than the outer or middle ear. The condition can be accompanied by tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness, or a feeling of ear fullness. The exact cause remains unknown, which is why it’s termed “idiopathic.”