Slow-healing wounds can bring immense pain, infection and, if part of a limb is affected, increased risk of amputation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, used at institutions worldwide, is a treatment proven to support the healing process in traumatized tissue.
Healing
Slow-healing wounds are one of the thirteen "indications," or conditions, approved by the Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) to be treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT.) These are wounds which refuse to respond to normal medical or surgical efforts, including traumatic wounds, amputation sites and diabetic feet.
"Diabetic foot wounds are one of the major complications of diabetes and an excellent example of the type of complicated wound which can be treated with hyperbaric oxygen," says UHMS. "The elevation in tissue oxygen which occurs in the hyperbaric chamber induces significant changes in the wound repair process that promote healing. When hyperbaric treatment is used in conjunction with standard wound care, improved results have been demonstrated in the healing of difficult or limb threatening wounds as compared to routine wound care alone."
Difficult Conditions
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves healing, staves off infection and improves circulation by encouraging the growth of blood vessels. Physicians view it as an excellent option to assist patients suffering from a variety of conditions. "I see many patients with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, emphysema and diabetes that can make wounds difficult to heal because of poor oxygenation," said Dr. Brian Heimer, a specialist in family medicine and a fellow of the American Professional Wound Care Association. "Patients with diabetes, for example, are more likely to develop small blood vessel disease. They may also have a nerve condition in their limbs called peripheral neuropathy, which can prevent them from feeling a wound until it has become serious. The availability of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is becoming more and more important in my practice."
Amputation
Hypoxia, defined as an inadequate supply of oxygen to enable bodily processes, occurs when tissues don't receive enough oxygen to properly heal. HBOT forces more oxygen into the bloodstream, delivering extra healing power to injured areas. Dr. Julie Hutchinson is a general surgeon who considers hyperbaric oxygen therapy an important tool in her arsenal. "The therapy yields a high rate of wound healing and decreases the time it takes. People with diabetes are at a high risk of amputation due to wounds that won't heal. Saving limbs that might otherwise be lost is one of our biggest goals."
History
Hyperbaric therapy & slow healing wounds have intrigued researchers since the mid twentieth-century. According to James Wright, a staff physician for Davis Hyperbaric Laboratory at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas, "HBOT was first used to assist wound healing when it was noted in 1965 that burns of the victims of a coal mine explosion, treated with HBOT for their carbon monoxide poisoning, healed faster. In spite of this long history of therapeutic use, the mechanisms of action of HBOT are still being discovered."
Financial
Since wound-healing is one of the thirteen conditions approved for hyperbaric therapy by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, most insurance plans cover the treatment. The Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center at St. Cloud Regional Hospital in St. Cloud, Florida, says, "Medicare has approved coverage for HBOT therapy for many types of chronic non-healing wounds. Most private insurance companies follow Medicare's guidelines, as well."
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