OUR HISTORY
a project between Iceland and Italy
The hyperbaric and Dive Medicine Department has been operating in Landspítali Fossvogur since 1993.
Established in Iceland in 1992 as part of an international agreement, initiated at the request of the Icelandic government and in collaboration with Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The project involved the Italian navy, the Sicilian Society of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine of Palermo, the Centre of Hearing of Iceland and Borgarspítali
Dr. Calcedonio Gonzales, the founder of the project and first medical chief of the Hyperbaric and Dive Medicine Department, donated the first hyperbaric chamber to Landspítali (the National University Hospital of Iceland) in 1993, which was used for over a year. Following that, the hyperbaric service continued for several more years as a collaborative project.
As the need for hyperbaric treatment continued to grow, Dr. Calcedonio Gonzales provided a larger chamber under a new agreement. The Icelandic government acquired the chamber at that time, and its operation has since been fully managed by the Icelandic state.
Over the course of 30 years, numerous Italian doctors and technicians contributed to the hyperbaric service in Iceland. An educational agreement between the University of Trieste in Italy and the University of Iceland enabled both Icelandic and Italian students to receive practical training in hyperbaric and dive medicine. This collaboration began with the creation of the service and continued until 2015.
OUR CHAMBERS
In 2023, the hyperbaric chamber that had been in use at Landspítali for nearly 30 years was permanently decommissioned. Manufactured in Italy, the steel chamber had a standard capacity of five seats, expandable to eight in special circumstances, and operated at a maximum working pressure of 6 BAR (50 meters of seawater).
Over its decades of service, the chamber facilitated more than 27,000 medical treatments and over 15,000 pressurization cycles. In early 2023, during a routine maintenance inspection, signs of material fatigue were found in several key components. As the damage was irreparable, the chamber was immediately and permanently taken out of service.
1993 - 2023
1992-1993
The first chamber