Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

About This Treatment

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is a medical treatment in which 100 percent oxygen is administered at high pressure to a patient in order to treat specific medical conditions. It has been shown to be particularly effective in healing and treating problem wounds, chronic bone infection, radiation injury, and compromised skin grafts and flaps. The team works closely with the primary referring physician and coordinates other procedures and hospital visits.

What are the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) makes positive changes in the lives of those living with life- and limb-threatening wounds or other serious conditions.

Benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) include:

• Improved care - By accelerating healing, risks of disability and death are lowered with HBO.
• Shorter hospital stay - HBO patients often spend fewer days in the hospital, sometimes seeing reductions in their length of stay by 30 - 50%.
• Lower costs - By accelerating healing and reducing the length of hospital stay, HBO coincides with cost-containment goals of major insurance providers.

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy used to treat?

The following are well-established conditions treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy:

• Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities
• Chronic refractory osteomyelitis - a persistent or recurring bone infection that is unresponsive to conventional medical and surgical management
• Soft tissue radionecrosis - soft tissue damage following radiation therapy
• Preparation and preservation of compromised skin grafts
• Acute carbon monoxide intoxication
• Decompression illness
• Gas embolism
• Gas gangrene
• Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia (ATI) - a condition that compromises circulation to an extremity and places it at risk for necrosis or amputation
• Crush injuries and suturing of severed limbs
• Progressive necrotizing infections - a severe, tissue-destroying, bacterial infection
• Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency – an acute decrease in blood flow
• Osteoradionecrosis - bone damage following radiation therapy
• Cyanide poisoning - smoke inhalation victims frequently suffer from both carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning
• Actinomycosis - a bacterial infection that causes an abscess or open wound

How long do hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments last?

An average treatment takes approximately two hours. Treatments are physician-supervised and customized to your specific medical needs. Typically, treatments are performed on a daily basis for up to eight weeks, depending on your condition.