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.
With
chronic, non-healing wounds becoming a multi-million dollar healthcare
problem, Kindred Hospital is ready to meet the growing demands for
hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Types of wounds treated include:
- diabetic wounds
- arterial ulcers
- pressure ulcers
- venous stasis ulcers
- compromised skin grafts and flaps
- complex soft tissue wounds
- osteomyelitis
- problem surgical wounds
- soft tissue infections