Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment in which the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. The air pressure inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This “hyperbaric” (or high pressure) dose of oxygen helps your blood carry more oxygen to your organs and tissues to promote wound healing. It also activates the white blood cells to fight infection.

Patients typically receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy five days a week for approximately four to six weeks. One treatment takes about two hours and is quite comfortable for most patients.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be used as part of the treatment for certain conditions, including the following:

• Slow to heal or non-healing wounds
• Diabetic foot ulcers or leg ulcers
• Non-healing skin grafts or surgical flaps
• Surgical wounds that have opened
• Symptoms occurring on or around a point of radiation (such as pain, rectal or bladder bleeding)
• Chronic bone infections (osteomyelitis)
• Crush injuries
• Certain types of sudden hearing loss
• Sudden vision loss
• Thermal burns

Our wound healing center is staffed with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, along with nurses and technicians with advanced training in wound care, who will customize the most effective treatment plan to stimulate healing.

Comprised of general physicians, vascular and plastic surgeons, podiatrists, and infectious disease physicians, our team is dedicated to providing the most advanced healing options to patients, allowing them to recover as quickly and completely as possible.

As wound healing specialists, our clinicians have a proven track record of healing wounds – even those that have not responded to other treatments.

• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Cyanide
• Cerebral arterial gas embolism
• Decompression sickness
• Exceptional blood loss anemia
• Necrotizing soft tissue infections (necrotizing fasciitis)
• Gas gangrene
• Crush injury; compartment syndrome
• Reattachment and suturing of limbs
• Acute Peripheral ischemia (including compartment syndrome)
• Thermal burns

• Enhancement of healing in selected problem wounds
• Compromised skin graft flaps. Radiation necrosis
• Refractory osteomyelitis. Refractory mycoses
• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Complications due to radiation treatment for cancer

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy should not be a replacement for standard therapeutic measures. Depending on the response of the individual patient and the severity of the condition, treatment may range from less than one week to several months, the average being four to six weeks.

Yes. Each patient is evaluated to determine the relative risks and benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy prior to treatment.

After referral by your doctor and evaluation by a hyperbaric medicine specialist, you will be given detailed instructions. You will be asked not to wear the following materials while in the chamber:

• Hair oils
• Hair spray
• Perfumes
• Make-up
• Ointments
• Liniments
• Petroleum or Vaseline products
• Wigs or hairpieces
• Aftershave
• Synthetics (e.g. rayon, nylon, etc.)
• Salves

Watches are not worn in the chamber because they may break under the increased pressure. Because the therapy involves 100 percent oxygen, any form of smoking material, lighters, or matches are STRICTLY prohibited in the chamber and should not be used during therapy. Anything not specifically allowed in the chamber must not be taken in under any circumstances.

During your treatment, you may watch television, a movie, or take a nap. You will be given a hospital gown to wear in the chamber.  Most pacemakers are allowed in the chamber. The hyperbaric technologist will need to know if you are taking any medications, including non-prescription drugs. You are advised not to drink alcohol or carbonated beverages for four hours prior to treatment. 

Smoking and the use of tobacco products interfere with the body’s ability to transport oxygen. Therefore, your doctor will work with you on techniques to help stop smoking during the treatment period.

Following your treatment plan is the single most important factor in your healing.

Our approach to wound care is aggressive and comprehensive, coordinating traditional and advanced therapies and techniques that are proven to reduce healing time and improve healing rates.

Since non-healing wounds rarely result from a single cause, we begin with a thorough evaluation and diagnostic testing to determine the underlying cause of the wound. A treatment plan is then developed to give patients the best chance for healing. Most treatments are covered by Medicare/Medicaid, HMOs, and other private insurance. Depending on the type of wound, the treatment plan may include:

• Infection control
• Restoration of blood flow
• Debridement (removal of dead tissue)
• Offloading
• Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy
• Cellular and/or tissue-based products (skin substitutes)
• Compression therapy
• Foot reconstruction
• Skin graft or flap

It greatly depends on the nature of the illness and the facility. Patients with wound healing problems usually require about 30 treatments, Monday through Friday. Patients with acute diseases such as decompression illness or carbon monoxide poisoning usually need only one to two treatments. Treatments are not usually scheduled on weekends or holidays. Emergency treatments are administered at any time, 365 days per year.

Further information can be obtained by calling the Wound Recovery Center at Kent Hospital at 401-736-4646 or by visiting the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society website.