Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a process in which a patient breathes 100 percent oxygen at above-normal atmospheric pressure, increasing the delivery of oxygen to the body. This oxygen enhances the body’s natural healing process. Studies show the treatment to be very helpful in aiding the body’s recovery from certain kinds of wounds and other medical injuries.

In wound care, HBOT is used for select chronic, non-healing wounds, osteomyelitis, and failing skin grafts and flaps. The compromised tissue is super-saturated with oxygen and new capillary growth occurs. There are many benefits to augmenting wound treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, i.e. hyperoxygenation, angiogenesis, fibroblast proliferation, leukocyte oxidative killing, toxin inhibition and antibiotic synergies. Patients will be given a treatment plan tailored to their individual medical needs.

Types of wounds treated include:

• acute carbon monoxide poisoning
• decompression sickness
• gas embolism
• gas gangrene
• acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
• crush injuries and suturing of severed limbs
• necrotizing fasciitis
• acute peripheral arterial insufficiency
• preservation of compromised skin grafts, excludes artificial skin graft
• chronic refractory osteomyelitis
• osteoradionecrosis
• soft tissue radionecrosis
• cyanide poisoning
• actinomyeosis
• diabetic wounds of the lower extremities

Outpatient Hyperbaric Medicine

The Wound Care Center provides outpatient hyperbaric oxygen therapy through two single person Sechrist 3200 hyperbaric oxygen chambers. These chambers are designed to reduce patient anxiety – patients sit comfortably and are directly attended to at all times while in the chamber.

Patients can read books and magazines or watch TV on flat screens, listen to soothing music or sleep during their treatments.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the use of 100% oxygen under greater-than-normal atmospheric pressures to increase the delivery of oxygen to the tissues. The tissue is super-saturated with oxygen and new capillary growth occurs. Healing occurs in a shorter time.

The Wound Care Clinic has fully trained and certified hyperbaric medicine physicians and staff. This specialty team works together to create the best treatment plan for each patient.

The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society’s Committee on Hyperbaric Oxygen has approved the use of HBOT as adjunctive or primary treatment for the conditions below:

• Select chronic, non-healing wounds
• Chronic refractory osteomyelitis
• Skin grafts and flaps (compromised)
• Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
• Crush injuries and suturing of severed limbs
• Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency
• Osteoradionecrosis
• Soft tissue radionecrosis
• Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities
• Acute thermal burns
• S/p bladder prostate cancer
• S/p oral surgery
• Exceptional blood loss (anemia)
• Intracranial abscess