Ten Centers, 327 Patients, One Big Lesson: Italy’s ITA-OTI Study Says Run HBOT by the Book

Ten hyperbaric centers. 327 patients. A national snapshot of how hyperbaric oxygen therapy is really delivered, day in and day out. That is the ITA-OTI Study, a multicentre prospective observational study from Italian anesthesia and critical-care teams working with the SIAARTI Study Group, published in the Journal of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Critical Care. It is not a flashy miracle headline. It is something we like even better: a careful look at whether hyperbaric care is being run the way the guidelines say it should be.

What the researchers looked at

Between April 2024 and October 2025, each participating center enrolled patients for 12 consecutive weeks. The team recorded why patients were treated, how sessions were set up, and how people were doing 30 days after their last treatment cycle. The centers ranged from university hospital units to private clinics and a military hyperbaric service, which gives the snapshot real breadth. Read the full ITA-OTI paper.

The most common reasons for treatment were sudden hearing loss (35.8%), carbon monoxide poisoning (19.9%), and soft tissue infections (12.2%), followed by chronic skin ulcers and delayed wound healing. These are established clinical indications handled by hyperbaric physicians in medical facilities, so this is a medical study, not a wellness trial. We are sharing it because of what it says about process.

The headline we love: consistency

The authors concluded that hyperbaric therapy in Italy “seems to be adopted in line with current national and international guidelines, in terms of indications and modalities.” Treatments looked similar from center to center, with a median of 16 sessions per patient and a typical setting of 2.5 ATA. The main difference between centers was simply how many sessions each patient received.

At 30-day follow-up, 47.1% of included patients were recorded with complete clinical resolution and another 34.3% with partial resolution. The authors are upfront that this outcome check was exploratory and based on clinical judgment rather than a standardized scale, so we read those numbers as a real-world snapshot, not a scoreboard. That kind of honesty is exactly why the paper is worth reading.

And here is the part that makes a chamber technician smile: across the whole study, no serious adverse events occurred, and no session was interrupted because of a technical issue. Equipment that just works, run by people who follow the protocol, is the quiet hero of every good hyperbaric program.

The small detail that matters most: ears

When sessions did pause, the most common reason was difficulty equalizing ear pressure. Most of those patients picked their sessions back up in the days that followed. If you have ever been in a chamber, you already know this one. Equalizing is a skill, and like any skill, it gets easier with coaching and practice.

That lines up perfectly with what we teach in the Prestige showroom. A slow, comfortable pressurization, a relaxed swallow or gentle jaw movement, and an operator who knows when to pause instead of push. Those simple habits make sessions calmer and more enjoyable, whether you are in a softshell at home or running a busy wellness studio.

Prestige’s take: run it by the book

Our chambers are wellness equipment, and we keep our claims in that lane. We do not take a medical study and turn it into a promise for a wellness session; medical questions always belong with a qualified healthcare professional. What we can take from ITA-OTI is the bigger lesson: great outcomes start with a repeatable process. Clear protocols, trained operators, maintained equipment, and a team that knows every part by name.

That is how we build ownership at Prestige. Our engineers design our own improvements, we keep parts on hand in our Holiday, Florida workshop, and every owner gets hands-on training on pressurization, equalization coaching, daily checks, and oxygen safety basics. For wellness centers that want a stronger standards foundation, our NFPA 99 Compliance Kit helps teams organize the documentation and procedures that make a program feel buttoned up.

Buy from Prestige, get supported by Prestige forever—the same team who built it and installed it stays in your corner after delivery day.

Bottom line: ITA-OTI is a refreshing reminder that the best hyperbaric story is often the steady one. Consistent protocols, careful follow-up, and comfortable, well-coached sessions. Educational commentary only; this article is not medical advice.

Source

Ippolito M., Martani L., Noto A., et al., and the SIAARTI Study Group, “Indications, therapeutic modalities and clinical outcomes of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Italy, the ITA-OTI Study: a multicentre prospective observational study,” Journal of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Critical Care, 2026;6:96. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13340085/.

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