Chronic wounds

For selected patients with certain types of non-healing wounds, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) provides a promising additional treatment. A chronic wound is a non healing wound under conventional multimodale treatment for a period of more than four weeks. Such wounds usually develop in compromised hosts with multiple local and systemic factors contributing to inhibition of tissue repair. These include diabetic feet, compromised amputation sites, nonhealing traumatic wounds, and vascular insufficiency ulcers (ulcers with poor circulation). All share the common problem of tissue hypoxia (low tissue oxygen level, usually related to impaired circulation). Therefore, delivering increased oxygen to injured tissues can help healing.

Studies have shown that specialized wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy:

• Accelerates wound healing

• Reduces amputation rates

• Helps patients avoid hospitalization

Diabetic foot wounds are one of the major complications of diabetes and an excellent example of the type of complicated wound which can be treated with hyperbaric oxygen. Fifty percent of all lower extremity amputations are due to diabetes, at a cost of more than one billion dollars per year (USA). It is well known that many diabetics suffer circulatory disorders that create inadequate levels of oxygen to support wound healing.

As an evidence based treatment HBO is payed by social health systems and insurances nearly all over the world.

Depending on the condition, patients may need between 20 to 40 treatments, usually 6 days per week for several weeks. The time in the pressurized chamber usually lasts about 140 minutes.