Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Chronic Wounds
About two percent of the general population of the United States suffers from chronic nonhealing wounds. This may not sound significant, but the estimated cost of caring for these wounds is more than $50 billion dollars each year. These wounds are often ulcers that are a result of diabetes or arterial or venous disease, and they are characterized by hypoxic wound tissues. The benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for wound healing are well-documented, and treating non-healing diabetic wounds is one of the 13 uses for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) approved by the FDA.
Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Chronic Wound Management
How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy promote wound healing? The air we normally breathe contains 21 percent oxygen, and HBOT exposes the body to 100 percent oxygen, at a pressure greater than normal. This allows an increase in the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in the patient’s bloodstream, and this, in turn, promotes healing. This aligns with Henry’s Law, which indicates that pressure placed on a gas will increase its ability to dissolve in liquid. Since oxygen is crucial for tissue repair and wound healing, increasing the amount of available oxygen is beneficial to the healing process.
How Effective is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the Healing of Chronic Wounds?
Numerous case studies on hyperbaric oxygen therapy and chronic wounds have reinforced its efficacy in healing wounds. These include radiation injuries, infections, burns, skin grafts and flaps, crush injuries, and diabetes related wounds. By some estimates, non-healing diabetic foot wounds result in as many as 130,000 amputations each year. There is evidence to support the use of HBOT to prevent these amputations, and, indeed, this treatment can reduce the risk of amputation by up to 87 percent. This is a very meaningful reduction, because diabetics who have to undergo amputations suffer from a significant loss of quality of life. There are even studies to suggest that most people- a whopping 80 percent- who undergo an amputation because of complications from diabetes die within the five years following the surgery. By reducing the risk of amputation, then, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is literally saving lives.
Look to the Experts in Hyperbaric Medicine
Innovators in hyperbaric medicine, Baromedical Associates provides the most advanced and effective therapy available, offering expert services in a luxurious, private setting. Our certified, experienced technicians and multi-disciplinary physicians work to provide each individual with a treatment program designed to offer the best possible outcome. We are internationally known for our work with children, and we treat all ages at our clinics in the Dallas Metro area. At all of our state-of-the-art clinics, patients receive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the world’s most advanced and spacious acrylic single person chambers. To find a location or for more information, contact us through our website.