Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Chronic Wounds

The burden that chronic wounds place on the healthcare system and its workers is substantial.

It’s anticipated that 1-2% of the industrialized world’s populace will get a leg wound at some point in their lives that will require medical attention.

In 2001, it was projected that the annual cost of treating leg ulcers in the United States was $3 billion.

This sum does not even account for the 2 million lost workdays. In this blog, we discuss hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic wounds and the benefits the hyperbaric chamber can bring.

By definition, chronic wounds are those that either don’t heal in a timely manner or don’t heal in a manner that restores anatomic and functional integrity after going through the stages of the repair process.

A chronic wound can also be defined in terms of how long it takes to heal. A wound that shows no signs of improvement after eight weeks of regular treatment.

Non-healing wounds can be treated by adhering to these three basic principles: addressing the underlying issue, identifying and removing any obstacles, and creating a supportive setting for recovery.

Cleansing and debridement, advanced wound dressing, and cutting-edge wound healing treatments like negative pressure wound therapy, topical growth factors, cultured skin, and macrophages are all part of the local wound treatment process.

The rate at which wounds heal is inversely proportional to how well-oxygenated those tissues are.

Ischemia, or lack of blood flow to an injury, is one of the most prevalent reasons for a wound not to heal.

Hypoxia occurs when there is a lack of oxygen in a bodily region. Ischemia occurs when there is a lack of blood flow (and hence oxygen) to a portion of the body.

Doctors may recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic wounds to hasten recovery from conditions such carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, non-healing wounds, and infections in which tissues are oxygen-deprived.

A hyperbaric chamber is used to increase the local concentration of oxygen, which serves as the medication.

The patient is exposed to higher atmospheric pressure than at sea level while breathing 100% oxygen during therapy.

This page provides background on the development of HBOT, as well as its physiological basis, clinical indications and contraindications, patient selection, treatment procedures, and adverse effects.