After China Medical University Hospital was upgraded to a medical center, the superintendent decided to set up a hyperbaric oxygen therapy center in October 1999 in order to expand medical devices. Director Te-chun Hsia and Dr. Chao-i Wu on March 11, 2000 went to Italy's Istituto Iperbarico, Zingonia (BG) to receive Professor Lucca's training programs of the hyperbaric oxygen theory, technical operation, and safety, during which time they visited the University of Pisa School of Medicine's Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center and the regional hyperbaric oxygen therapy centers in Venice, Raggio, and Florence, Northern Italy. Finally, the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center was established at the hospital on April 1, 2000. On April 15, plastic surgery division nurse Yen-wei Han and respiratory therapist Wan-yun Hsiao joined the operational planning of hyperbaric oxygen. On April 18, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber was transported to the hospital via the Port of Taichung and the eight metric tons of the device was moved to the second floor of the first medical building. On the same day, Italian engineer Sappia led the installation of the chamber and the personnel training program. On May 19, the chamber escorts training program was completed successfully and laid a foundation for the future. On May 22 of the same year, the first patient was admitted to the center. On May 23, the chamber body was inspected for fire prevention. On May 25, the hospital announced the official operation of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center. In June, the hyperbaric oxygen special clinic started operation. In July, Dr.  Liang-een Hang who had been trained in Taipei Veterans General Hospital Department of Respiratory Therapy was brought in for the care of the patients. On July 5, the Public Relations Section helped hold a press conference, through which the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center was made public in the media.

 

As hyperbaric oxygen patients continued to increase and the staff was overwhelmed with work, Administration Office chief Hui-ru Wu and Internal Medicine Division nurse You-ya Lin joined the team on August 1, 2000 and November 1, 2005, respectively. After 2010, Pulmonary Division attending physicians Yu-chao Lin, Wei-erh Cheng, Yi-heng Liu,  Wei-chun Chen, Wei-chih Liao, and Chia-hsiang Li worked in the center in succession responsible for training and teaching and the problem wound clinic, infectious disease special clinic, and brain injury special clinic, with the goal of better treatment and care for patients. In 2014, Dr. Wei-chih Liao became the director of the center. In 2016 and 2017, Dr. Yi-cheng Shen and Wen-chien Cheng joined the team, respectively.

 

The center provides 24-hour treatment services for patients with acute and severe diseases and is an important therapy center and the only training center for hyperbaric oxygen specialists in the central region.