Bleomycin and Hyperbaric Oxygen: Research Summary

By Rubicon Foundation editorial team

6 min read · 28 October 2026

“Trends Of Treating Patients, That Have Received Bleomycin Therapy In The Past, With Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (Hbot) And A Survey Of Considered Absolute Contraindications To Hbot” is a 2005 journal article by Stubbs JM and colleagues. Published in Undersea Hyperb Med Abstract 32(supplement), it addresses prior bleomycin therapy in patients receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatment and the wider question of which conditions are treated as absolute contraindications.

Why does bleomycin matter in hyperbaric oxygen care?

Bleomycin is a chemotherapy drug associated with the possibility of lung injury. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) exposes a patient to oxygen at a pressure above normal atmospheric pressure, increasing the oxygen available to tissues. The combination raises a clinically important question: how should a history of bleomycin treatment affect decisions about a later oxygen exposure?

The concern is not simply that oxygen is beneficial or harmful in isolation. Its effects depend on dose, pressure, duration, the patient’s condition and the reason HBOT is being considered. Lung vulnerability matters because the lungs are directly exposed to elevated oxygen levels, while the treatment itself may be needed for a serious medical indication.

What does “absolute contraindication” mean?

A contraindication is a condition or circumstance that weighs against a treatment. Calling one “absolute” implies that the treatment should not proceed under the defined circumstances, rather than merely requiring additional caution. In clinical practice, the label matters: an overly broad prohibition can deny a potentially useful treatment, while an overly narrow one can understate risk.

The article’s subject therefore connects two questions: how clinicians have approached HBOT after previous bleomycin therapy, and how they classify absolute contraindications to HBOT more generally. Such classifications require attention to the specific condition, the proposed treatment and the potential consequences of delaying or withholding it.

How does pressure oxygen affect the body?

Breathing oxygen under increased pressure raises the amount of oxygen dissolved in blood plasma as well as the oxygen carried by haemoglobin. That physiological change is the basis for HBOT’s use in selected medical conditions. It also means that treatment involves a controlled exposure, not simply supplemental oxygen at ordinary pressure.

Oxygen can have toxic effects when exposure is sufficiently intense or prolonged. The lungs and central nervous system are among the tissues clinicians consider when assessing oxygen exposure. Pressure, treatment duration and the patient’s medical history all shape the risk assessment; a prior drug exposure is one part of that clinical picture.

Prior bleomycin therapy: relevant because of the drug’s association with lung injury.
Oxygen dose: pressure and duration affect the exposure received during HBOT.
Contraindication classification: distinguishes a reason to avoid treatment from a risk that may call for closer assessment.
Clinical indication: the expected benefit of HBOT is weighed against the patient’s individual risks.

Why is this issue relevant to diving medicine?

HBOT and diving both involve changes in pressure and the physiology of breathing gases, but they are not interchangeable exposures. Hyperbaric clinicians make treatment decisions in a medical setting; divers encounter pressure changes as part of immersion and ascent. The shared physiology makes oxygen exposure and pulmonary risk relevant to both fields, while the clinical question of previous bleomycin therapy belongs especially to treatment planning.

For diving physicians, the broader lesson is that a medication history can matter when assessing pulmonary fitness and exposure to oxygen. For hyperbaric clinicians, it is the need to weigh a potential oxygen-related risk against the reason treatment is being considered. Individual assessment is essential; patients with a history of bleomycin therapy should discuss HBOT with a physician experienced in diving or hyperbaric medicine.

What place does the article have in the research record?

The 2005 publication sits within the clinical discussion of HBOT safety and contraindication policy. Its stated subject brings together a specific treatment history—previous bleomycin therapy—and a broader survey of conditions considered absolute contraindications. That pairing reflects a recurring challenge in hyperbaric practice: deciding whether a risk is prohibitive or must be judged in context.

The bibliographic record identifies it as a journal article in a supplement of Undersea Hyperb Med Abstract. Readers assessing a current clinical decision should consult the complete publication and current medical guidance, since contraindication language and treatment practice need to be interpreted in the context of the patient and the proposed HBOT course.

Frequently asked questions

What is hyperbaric oxygen treatment?

HBOT is a medical treatment in which a patient breathes oxygen at pressure above normal atmospheric pressure in a controlled setting.

Why is prior bleomycin therapy considered in HBOT assessment?

Bleomycin is associated with possible lung injury, so clinicians consider this history when assessing the risks of an elevated oxygen exposure.

Does a history of bleomycin therapy automatically rule out HBOT?

That decision depends on the clinical circumstances, including the patient’s condition and the reason for treatment. A diving-medicine or hyperbaric-medicine physician should assess the individual case.

Citation details

Title: Trends Of Treating Patients, That Have Received Bleomycin Therapy In The Past, With Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (Hbot) And A Survey Of Considered Absolute Contraindications To Hbot
Authors: Stubbs JM; Johnson EG; Thom SR
Year: 2005
Published in: Undersea Hyperb Med Abstract 32(supplement)
Record type: Journal article
Repository record: Rubicon Research Repository, handle 123456789/1638

This page is an original summary written by the Rubicon editors from the publication’s bibliographic record. It does not reproduce the paper, its abstract or its data; consult the publication itself for its methods and findings.