Hyperbaric oxygen therapy speeds wound recovery by dramatically increasing the blood oxygen levels of patients with certain conditions.
How hyperbaric therapy works
Hyperbaric therapy uses 100% oxygen to promote optimum healing. Inside a clear acrylic chamber called a hyperbaric chamber, you breathe pure oxygen to saturate blood plasma, carrying 20 to 30 times the normal amount of oxygen to body tissue. This allows your body's natural healing mechanism to function more efficiently, thereby healing wounds, saving damaged tissue and reversing the effects of exposure to life-threatening events, such has air-gas embolisms.
Conditions that may benefit from hyperbaric therapy include:
Deficient blood distribution to the limbs caused by narrowing or obstruction within arteries
Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities meeting criteria including:
Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and a lower extremity wound that is due to diabetes
Wound classified as Wagner grade III or higher
Adequate course of standard wound therapy hasn't helped
Gas embolism and/or gangrene
Injuries and suturing of crushed or severed limbs
Post-radiation problems, including blood in the urine, scarring, and skin and bone breakdown
Preparation and preservation of compromised skin grafts