This letter to our readers is by far the hardest I have ever had to write, for many reasons. The first is my most heartfelt apology to all of our readers and advertisers for our lengthy delay. Without your support this publication could not have been possible. As a small company tasked with many projects and limited funds we have definitely over-extended our capabilities as far as production and timing. We will not sacrifice quality or in-depth coverage of our field just to produce something in print. It is my deepest desire that our readers can understand the need for such a publication and bear with us through our infancy as we develop into a more reliable and timely publication that brings our field closer together through truth and awareness.

The second hardest thing about delivering this issue is that it spans some of our world’s darkest days. The terrorist attacks on America brought the world to a stand still as everyone everywhere focused on their most important assets, their families and livelihoods for a safe tomorrow. Our publication is no different. After securing our families’ safety we started prioritizing our goals, schedules, and obligations to our readers and advertisers. I was in the air on the morning of September 11th bound for Austin, TX to work on the implementation rules for the new brain injury law in Texas. While this meeting was rescheduled and ultimately helped lead to the new rules, it all seemed a distant second to the events unfolding around us. We are committed to this field and indebted to all of you as we strive to bring you the latest news and information (even if it must be by e-mail to expedite its delivery).

When the Brain Injury Legislative meeting finally convened on October 2, 2001, we started crafting the rules for implementation of the new law on Brain Injury. The newly formed International Hyperbaric Medical Association (IHMA) was proud to be a part of this rule-making process to help Texans receive quality health care. I was present; representing the IHMA and working to keep the law focused on patient care instead of further research projects. While our field can definitely stand to gain from quality research, the Governor signed this Bill into Law and Texans have a right to receive the best quality of care available under the laws of their state. I can only hope that other state legislators will follow the examples set by the great leadership of Texas State Representatives, Lon Burnam and Harryette Ehrhardt, as they broke new ground in quality, cost effective health care. New Mexico, Mississippi, California, and Florida all have people working to enact similar laws.

One of the hottest topics since our last issue has been a yet unpublished report by the UHMS Ethics Task Force. This report was scheduled to print in its entirety this issue but legal matters over the copyright of the manuscript have prevented us from doing so at this time. This ground-breaking report has several recommendations coming from the UHMS that will be helpful to the entire field. I have been in contact with the Editor of the UHMS journal as well as several committee members and all have assured me that they are printing the paper in their very next issue. I look forward to its release so we can all better understand and deal with the ethical dilemmas we face in our field. From conducting research trials to getting new “off label” indications approved, this report outlines several recommendations that could help to bring about positive change for our field.

As the hyperbaric community plans to descend upon San Francisco for the 14th International Congress on Hyperbaric Medicine, I look forward to seeing our international colleagues come together in a professional forum and present their scientific findings for all the world to share. From our shared experiences will come new advancements and questions. We will no doubt leave the Congress better informed and ready to face future challenges based on the findings presented. This meeting is scheduled to have a much-anticipated debate on the science behind HBOT and neurology. This of course will be a standing room only presentation as leaders from around the world come forward.

If there is anything I have learned from our extreme delay on this issue, it is that this journal needs more time and space to print each issue. To that end we are switching to a 72 page minimum layout and a quarterly schedule. Both of these changes will be easier targets to achieve with our continued collaboration of readers, commercial supporters, and generous personal contributors. This next volume will have several specialty sections such as Surgery, Infectious Disease, Environmental Medicine, and Neurology. By expanding our size we can also broaden our content base to include a larger range of topics. As we expand our topics we will need to expand our authorship. If you have considered publishing information from your center or if you have viewpoints you would like to express, please contact us and let us know your thoughts.

We have weathered hard times and have learned many lessons, now it is time to enact our education and make HMT a better publication. If I have not said it enough already let me say it here again, I personally bear all responsibility for this issue being so late and ask for your continued support to make our field better informed. Many good things are on the horizon for this medical community and this journal is here to make sure we all stay informed.

The future of hyperbaric medicine is in our hands and we can shape our future just as Sir Alexander Fleming did with Penicillin, Dr.s O’Shaughnessy, Latta, and Lewins did with IV Fluids, and Dr. Semmelweiss did by simply washing his hands. A quick lesson in medical history would remind us that “it is impossible to learn what we think we already know”.

Thank you for enduring the hardships of our journal. Please stay with us and help us to see a new and improved field of hyperbaric medicine. Most importantly, welcome back to Hyperbaric Medicine Today.