Could this help some people heal faster?
You know everyone needs oxygen. But what if a special oxygen therapy could be helpful for certain ailments, especially if you are diabetic and dealing with non-healing wounds?
Enter hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers.
“Ulcers in diabetic patients are difficult to heal because of small vessel disease, as is seen in diabetics,” says Dr. Roland Moreno, board certified in physical medicine & rehabilitation physician specializing in advanced wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay, Wis. “The skin likewise is affected by small vessel disease and hyperbaric oxygenation therapy could be of benefit.”
So how does it work?
“During an hyperbaric treatment, the patient inhales 100% pure oxygen under pressure of 2.0 to 2.4 times normal atmospheric pressure,” Dr. Moreno says. “This hyperbaric treatment increases the arterial circulation of oxygen to 10 times the usual, resulting in many benefits such as inducing new blood vessel growth, knocking down infections and swelling, and promoting certain cells of the body to work more efficiently.”
Dr. Moreno says HBO2 is also used in treatment of the following:
- Sudden onset of hearing loss
- Radiation soft tissue and bone injury
- Necrotizing infections
- Crush injuries
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Failing grafts or flaps
- Burns
- Gangrene
- Severe anemia
- Brain abscess
- Non-healing diabetes-related foot ulcer
Patients who may be good candidates for HBO2 therapy are individually and thoroughly screened to ensure the highest level of safety of treatments. Some risks include irritation of the eardrum, lowering of blood sugars, and more rarely, with seizure, lung collapse and temporary changes in vision.
Talk to your doctor to determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be right for you.
Want to learn more about your risk for diabetes? Take a free online quiz here.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
You might also want to mention that hyperbaric oxygen is also used in SCUBA divers with depression sickness (DCS). I have attended several tours of the hyperbaric chamber at Lutheran General hospital in Park Ridge
Think he meant to say; decompression sickness – not depression
While a hyperbaric chamber may be used to treat decompression sickness, they do not use pure oxygen much above 2 atmospheres as it can become toxic. Often higher pressure is needed. Using higher partial pressures of oxygen can speed up the process of shedding excess nitrogen.
I’ve also heard that it’s been used to help people with long COVID. Has anyone else heard of this, or know if it’s true?