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Man books 10 hyperbaric oxygen treatments prior to learning of boy's death in chamber explosion

'After a few weeks, I was able to start being able to think clearly, which I hadn’t been able to do in months.'
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TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — As the Troy fire and police departments continue their investigations into what caused an explosion at The Oxford Center that killed a 5-year-old boy on Friday, we’re hearing from those who have had positive experiences receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

“After a few weeks, I was able to start being able to think clearly, which I hadn’t been able to do in months,” Michael Krausman said.

Previous coverage: 5-year-old boy killed after hyperbaric chamber explodes in Troy

Boy, 5, killed when hyperbaric chamber explodes at facility in Troy

Krausman says he spent the better part of a decade receiving dozens of hyperbaric oxygen treatments to deal with the effects of a traumatic brain injury. He had just booked 10 more sessions at The Oxford Center when he learned the 5-year-old boy died there when a chamber exploded while receiving that same treatment.

“My heart hurts for that poor, poor family. It’s terrible,” Krausman said.

Hyperbaric chambers contain 100% oxygen, which is about three to five times the amount that’s typically in a room. A person breathing inside a pressurized chamber can increase the amount of oxygen in their blood.

“And the pressure I guess forces the oxygen throughout your pores, throughout everything, into your blood and gets it to flow properly throughout your body and it makes a difference,” Krausman said.

Having that much oxygen in a pressurized environment makes it extremely combustible. The Oxford Center says it does not know why or how the explosion happened.

Those familiar with the facility say staffers are strict about not wearing perfume, lotions, patches and even certain kinds of clothing.

Troy officials hold press conference after explosion at medical facility

Troy police & fire speak after child killed in hyperbaric chamber explosion

“I think they’re worried about static electricity in the clothing, so they want to make sure you wear their scrubs. I think that’s what they gave out or buy your own and bring them there, which is what I did,” Krausman said.

The Oxford Center released a statement after the incident that reads in part:

"This is an exceptionally difficult day for all of us. The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority. Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place."

A spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs says state law does not require hyperbaric oxygen facilities to be licensed or regulated by the state.

Investigators are working to get to the bottom of what happened. Normally, chambers are equipped with fire suppression systems to prevent and extinguish fires. Right now, it’s unclear if the chamber in question had one.

We asked Krausman if he plans to go back for hyperbaric treatment.

"I will. I will because it works for me," Krausman said.