On Jul. 16, 2005, Virginia Mason Medical Center, now know as the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, opened an expanded Center for Hyperbaric Medicine on Seattle’s First Hill, capable of seating 16 patients plus two attendants.

The center, established in 1969, is the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest and is used to treat divers suffering from decompression disease, victims of carbon-monoxide poisoning and patients with circulation problems.

Today, the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine is home to the only triple-lock multiplace chamber in the entire northwest region of the United States. This chamber is large enough to comfortably stand up in and our patients can relax in comfortable reclining chairs. They are also the only facility in the northwest region capable of treating hyperbaric urgencies and emergencies 24/7/365. Their facility is staffed by some of the nation’s most experienced and well-trained teams.