Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy uses pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber to treat chronic or non-healing wounds, which are defined as sores or wounds that have not significantly improved from conventional treatments.
Hyperbaric therapy takes place in a clear, acrylic chamber. Patients lie on a stretcher inside the chamber and can watch TV or a movie. Most sessions last between 90 and 120 minutes. A wound care team member stays in the room during treatment.
During treatment, the chamber is slowly pressurized with 100 percent oxygen. The patient’s blood carries the extra oxygen throughout the body, ensuring the injured tissue get the extra oxygen needed to start the healing process. Your physician will prescribe several sessions for optimal healing.
Conditions treated with hyperbaric therapy include:
- Bone infections
- Diabetic foot and leg wounds
- Injuries from radiation therapy
- Skin wounds
Each year, more than 6.5 million Americans are treated for chronic wounds, and the numbers likely will increase, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
If left untreated, chronic wounds decrease a person’s quality of life and may lead to the loss of a limb or life. Often people with slow-healing wounds have another chronic condition as a contributing factor, such as diabetes, heart disease or peripheral artery disease.
