Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Banner Boswell Medical Center Wound Center
(623) 875-6580
Oxygen plays an important role in wound healing, but not every non-healing wound will benefit from Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy , originally developed for the treatment of decompression sickness in divers. Since the 1960s, this therapy has been used to treat many other conditions, including:
- Air/gas embolisms
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cyanide poisoning
- Crush injuries
- Necrotizing soft-tissue infections
- Exceptional blood loss anemia
- Failed skin grafts and flaps
- Gas gangrene
- Radiation injuries to tissue and bone
- Non-healing osteomyelitis
- Selected non-healing wounds
How it works:
We use a screening tool that non-invasively measures the amount of oxygen in tissues surrounding a wound. The procedure is painless and takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. Electrodes are placed on the chest and at several sites around the wound.
Baseline measurements are taken while the patient breathes normal room air and again at specified intervals after the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen. The resulting measurements assist physicians in determining which patients will benefit from Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
At Banner Boswell Medical Center, we place patients in a chamber with a clear acrylic shield, which allows nursing staff to see and talk with patients. Once patients are in the chamber, they can rest, watch television or listen to music. Most patients are comfortable and feel no ill effects from the procedure.
