What are hyperbaric oxygen treatments and could I benefit from them?
Only certain wounds meet the criteria for receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments. The physician will determine if you can benefit from hyperbaric oxygen treatments. This determination is made from observing and assessing the kind of wound present. Sometimes when a chronic wound is not healing, the area around the wound is hypoxic or lacks oxygen. The patient lies in the hyperbaric chamber and breathes oxygen under pressure. Oxygen saturates not only the blood but the plasma and surrounding tissues with oxygen. The increased oxygen in the body is accomplished by breathing 100 percent oxygen under pressure at higher atmospheric pressure (usually 2 ATA or 33 ft below sea level) –which is why we call a treatment with hyperbaric oxygen a DIVE!!! These treatments improve the oxygenation of ischemic tissues – oxygen tensions around the wound improve immediately. New growth of blood vessels occurs after approximately 20 treatments. Hyperbaric oxygen also helps the white blood cells fight thos
