A tragic incident unfolded on Friday at a medical facility in suburban Detroit when a pressurized oxygen chamber exploded, resulting in the death of a 5-year-old patient and injuries to his mother. The explosion took place around 8 a.m. at the Oxford Center in Troy, located north of Detroit. The young boy, a resident of Royal Oak, Michigan, was inside the chamber at the time of the explosion and was declared dead at the scene.
The child’s mother, who was standing next to the chamber when the explosion occurred, sustained injuries to her arms, according to Troy police Lt. Ben Hancock. The specific treatment the child was receiving at the center remains unknown.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the treatment being administered, involves the delivery of pure oxygen in an enclosed, high-pressure environment, thereby increasing the oxygen supply to the body. This therapy is often used for treating decompression sickness, serious tissue disease or wounds, trapped air bubbles in blood vessels, carbon monoxide poisoning, and tissue damage from radiation therapy, as per the Mayo Clinic.
Troy Fire Lt. Keith Young, during a news conference on Friday, explained that hyperbaric chambers contain 100% oxygen, which is up to five times the amount of oxygen in a normal room. This high concentration of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely combustible. The cause of the explosion remains uncertain, as such incidents are very uncommon.
The blast also injured the mother of the young victim. However, no other injuries were reported, even though staff from the center were present in the room at the time of the explosion. The explosion was confined to the chamber, but a fire that broke out in the room had to be extinguished.
The Oxford Center, in an email, confirmed that a fire had started inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The center emphasized that the safety and wellbeing of the children they serve is their highest priority. They stated that they had never experienced an incident like this in their 15 years of providing this type of therapy. The center pledged to cooperate fully with all investigations into the incident.
The investigation into the explosion and subsequent fire will be handed over to the state, according to Lt. Young.