Tragic Explosion in Detroit Medical Facility Claims Life of Five-Year-Old Patient

A pressurized oxygen chamber explosion at the Oxford Center in Troy, north of Detroit, on Friday morning resulted in the death of a five-year-old patient and injuries to his mother. The child, from Royal Oak, Michigan, was inside the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the explosion and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Troy police Lt. Ben Hancock stated, “The mother of the child suffered some injuries to her arms as she was standing right next to the chamber when the explosion occurred. We are still investigating the cause of the incident and the nature of the child’s treatment at the centre.”

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which was being administered to the child, is a medical treatment that involves increasing the delivery of oxygen to the body by providing pure oxygen in an enclosed space with higher than normal air pressure. The therapy is commonly used to treat conditions such as decompression sickness, serious tissue disease or wounds, trapped air bubbles in blood vessels, carbon monoxide poisoning, and tissue damage from radiation therapy.

According to Troy Fire Lt. Keith Young, hyperbaric chambers contain 100 per cent oxygen, which is significantly higher than the oxygen levels found in a normal room. This high concentration of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely combustible, leading to the tragic explosion that occurred at the Oxford Center.

While staff members were present in the room at the time of the incident, no other injuries were reported aside from the mother and child. The explosion was contained to the chamber, although a fire had to be extinguished by emergency responders.

The Oxford Center released a statement expressing their shock and sadness over the incident, stating, “The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority. We have been providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy for over 15 years without any incidents. We are cooperating fully with the investigations into this tragic event.”

The investigation into the explosion and fire will be taken over by state authorities to determine the exact cause of the incident and prevent future occurrences of this nature.