Dr. Tony Alleman, Regional One Health medical director for wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, has been invited to join a NASA work group studying issues related to decompression sickness in athletes.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the only known cure for decompression sickness, and Dr. Alleman is one of the nation’s leading experts in the field.

Now, he’ll use his knowledge and experience to help keep astronauts safe and provide treatment for a wide variety of conditions at Regional One Health.

Regional One Health is a national leader in the field of hyperbaric medicine, and that has caught the attention of none other than NASA as it works to put astronauts back on the moon.

Tony Alleman, MD, Regional One Health medical director for wound care & hyperbaric oxygen therapy, was invited by the NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer to look at ways to mitigate the risk of decompression sickness among astronauts who travel to space.

The Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) and Decompression Sickness Working Group will focus on a condition known as PFO, which occurs when a hole that exists at birth between the left and right atriums of a person’s heart does not close.

“A third of us have a PFO and don’t even know about it,” Dr. Alleman noted. “The only time it matters is when you’re changing pressures, so if you’re a diver or an astronaut, having a PFO can increase your risk of decompression sickness.”

Decompression sickness is a painful and potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when extreme changes in pressure cause nitrogen bubbles to form in the body. For people with a PFO, the bubbles may bypass the lungs and travel through the space between the two chambers of the heart, allowing them to possibly reach the brain, spinal cord, etc.

“For astronauts, it can cause severe issues,” Dr. Alleman said. “The problem is, there is no medical literature on PFOs and astronauts. NASA wants to get an astronaut back on the moon, and they want to understand how to address PFOs before they send someone into space.”

With that goal in mind, Dr. Alleman and fellow experts from across the country will meet at Johnson Space Center in Houston to answer a number of important questions.

The group will discuss whether a PFO increases an astronaut’s risk of serious decompression sickness, and if certain forms of PFO are riskier than others. They’ll explore the best types of screening, risk reduction measures, and whether repeated missions or certain types of training increase an astronaut’s risk of decompression sickness.

Dr. Alleman’s involvement with the committee reflects the unique level of expertise he and his hyperbaric medicine program offer at Regional One Health, where they treat a diverse range of conditions including decompression sickness, diabetic wounds, and traumatic injuries.

Regional One Health is home to the only multi-place hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the State of Tennessee, meaning the team can treat multiple patients at the same time. The next closest multi-place chambers to Memphis are in Baton Rouge, Oklahoma City and Louisville.

Regional One Health also offers unmatched expertise.

Dr. Alleman serves on a number of national hyperbaric medicine committees and organizations, and is a nominee for president of the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society. At Regional One Health, he is joined by two other board-certified underwater and hyperbaric medicine physicians: J. Richard Walker, III, MD, MS, FACEP, Chief of Service for Emergency Medicine; and Tracy Legros, MD, an emergency medicine physician.

“We’re the only three in the state of Tennessee. In the whole country, there are fewer than 500 physicians who are board certified in hyperbaric and underwater medicine,” Dr. Alleman noted.

That puts Regional One Health in a unique position to care for patients from all over the Mid-South and the country.

For scuba divers and other patients suffering from decompression sickness, which is also known as “the bends,” hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the only available treatment. It works by replacing the nitrogen bubbles with oxygen that the body can metabolize.

For wounds and other conditions, hyperbaric oxygen therapy works by supporting the body’s capacity to heal itself. Patients go on a series of “dives” in the chamber, during which the body is exposed to 100 percent oxygen under pressure. Each dive lasts about two hours, and patients typically receive treatment five days a week for several weeks. The treatment is non-invasive and painless – patients can sleep, read, watch TV, etc. during dives.

After a series of treatments, Dr. Alleman said, the added oxygen in the bloodstream causes the patient to start growing new blood vessels. The new blood vessels can deliver oxygenated blood to injured areas, which helps heal wounds and other conditions.

It’s an excellent option for a number of injuries: diabetic foot ulcers and other diabetic wounds, soft tissue and bone damage caused by radiation treatment, burns, crush injuries and other traumatic injuries, and necrotizing infections. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can also treat carbon monoxide poisoning, infections such as osteomyelitis and gas gangrene, severe anemia, arterial insufficiencies, and even sudden hearing and vision loss.

Dr. Alleman said it is rewarding to offer patients access to treatment that has a direct impact on improving their quality of life. Now, he looks forward to also playing a role in the health and safety of the men and women who travel to space.

“Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a wonderful treatment for a very diverse group of conditions,” Dr. Alleman said. “In many cases, it offers a patient their best or even their only chance at recovery.”

For more about hyperbaric oxygen therapy and Regional One Health’s Wound Care Center, visit https://www.regionalonehealth.org/firefighters-burn-center/wound-care-and-hbo/