Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy comes to Edward Hospital

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a new wound care option available at Edward Hospital.

The same treatment that helps deep sea divers recover from decompression sickness can now help patients with stubborn wounds.  Even professional athletes, most recently Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte, have used hyperbaric chambers to speed recovery from injuries.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivers oxygen quickly and in high concentrations to injured areas.  The increased pressure helps oxygen dissolve in the plasma, the liquid component of blood.  The process stimulates the growth of new blood vessels and increases oxygenation that can stop certain types of infections and enhance wound healing.

Patients with foot ulcers, crush injuries, compromised skin grafts or a dozen other conditions that have not responded to conventional treatment may qualify for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.  Most insurance plans will cover this treatment for conditions approved by Medicare and the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.

During therapy, the patient is sealed into a clear tube for about two hours while breathing 100% oxygen.  The air inside the tube is pressurized to greater than two atmospheres, or the equivalent of about 66 feet below sea level.  About every half hour, the patient takes five- to 10-minute “air break” through a breathing mask.

The patient is dressed in a cotton hospital gown and leaves all other items outside the chamber to reduce the risk of static electricity.  They can sleep, watch a television that’s outside the chamber, listen to music or speak with a hyperbaric oxygen therapy technician through an audio system in the chamber.  A wound care physician trained in hyperbaric oxygen therapy supervises the procedure.

Dave Zanghi, director of cardiodiagnostics and wound care at Edward, says patients may feel fullness or popping in their ears similar to that felt while flying in an airplane. Patients worried about claustrophobia may be given a mild sedative before treatment.

Edward’s two hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers can accommodate patients who are at least 18 years old and weigh up to 700 pounds.  For information, call the Edward Wound Healing Center at (630) 527-3002 or visit www.edward.org/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy.