Wound Healing

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) promotes wound healing by counteracting tissue hypoxia and is a valuable adjunct in the management of ischemic, infected, and non-healing wounds. Important applications include ulcers in diabetic foot. In plastic surgery, hyperbaric treatment for wounds improves the survival of skin grafts and flaps.

The use of supplemental oxygen in wound care therapy is recommended for all patients considered to be at high risk of infection who are either undergoing or recovering from surgery.

Chronic wounds are wounds that take a long time to heal, do not heal, or recur; these wounds are often ulcers associated with diabetes or arterial or venous disease (poor blood circulation). One characteristic of chronic wounds is that the wound tissues are hypoxic (have low oxygen levels). Chronic wounds are commonly occurring and reduce the quality of life of those affected.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a treatment designed to increase the supply of oxygen to wounds that are not responding to other treatments. HBOT involves people breathing pure oxygen in a specially designed compression chamber (such as those used for deep-sea divers suffering pressure problems after resurfacing).