Veteran Health Partnership
HPO.TECH Hyperbaric Chambers Aid Aurelius Protocol for Veterans' TBI and PTSD Recovery
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A Pennsylvania non-profit has treated more than 60 veterans and special operators for chronic brain injury and trauma — at zero cost to the patients. Since January 20, 2025, the Aurelius Brain Health and Human Performance Program has welcomed service members from 25 states and two countries, according to Recorder.
The program runs at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and uses a three-part, patent-pending treatment plan. At the center of it: hyperbaric oxygen chambers built by HPO.TECH, a company that is now engineering a custom four-seat chamber — donated in full — specifically for the program, Toronto Sun reported.
How the Aurelius Protocol Treats Hidden Combat Wounds
Chronic traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a physical wound to the brain caused by repeated blasts, falls, or impacts. It often comes with post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. These conditions are notoriously hard to treat. The Aurelius Protocol targets all of them at once using three combined therapies, Northern News reported.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the core tool. Patients breathe pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. The extra pressure forces more oxygen into the blood and brain tissue, which may help damaged cells recover. HPO.TECH supplies two chamber models for this work — the ATLANTIS and the MEDITERRANEAN — both designed to hold multiple patients at once, according to Fairview Post.
Sixty Veterans Treated, Twenty-Five States Represented
The first cohort began on January 20, 2025. In the months since, over 60 veterans and special operations forces have completed the full Aurelius Protocol. Patients have traveled from 25 U.S. states and two countries to access the care, Leader Post reported.
The program is confidential and fully donor-funded. It is open to veterans, active-duty service members, and members of the intelligence community. Patients pay nothing out of pocket. That model removes two of the biggest barriers to care — cost and stigma — that often stop service members from seeking help, according to Cochrane Times Post.
HPO.TECH Donates a Custom Four-Seat Chamber for Future Cohorts
HPO.TECH is building a purpose-built, large-format hyperbaric chamber specifically for the Aurelius program. The chamber will seat four people at once. The company is donating it in full, The Whig reported.
A bigger chamber means more veterans can be treated at the same time. That could significantly increase the program's capacity without raising its costs. The donation reflects a broader push to scale access to hyperbaric therapy for service members who have run out of other options, according to Recorder.
Why Hyperbaric Therapy Is Gaining Ground for TBI and PTSD
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used for decades to treat decompression sickness in divers. Its use for brain injuries is newer and still being studied. But interest among military health researchers has grown sharply, driven by the high rate of TBI among combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Aurelius program is one of the few places offering the therapy as part of a structured, multi-modal protocol at no charge. By combining hyperbaric oxygen with two other undisclosed therapies, the clinic aims to treat the full picture of a veteran's condition — not just one symptom. Northern News noted the protocol is patent-pending, suggesting the clinical team believes the combination itself is the breakthrough.
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