New Hyperbaric Chambers Offer Comfortable Spaces for Wound Healing
Chronic wounds affect 6.7 million people in the U.S. An aging population and increasing rates of diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity and the late effects of radiation therapy contribute to the chronic wound epidemic. Left untreated, chronic wounds can lead to diminished quality of life.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used to treat more than a dozen medical conditions including diabetic foot ulcers, radiation injuries to tissue and bone, necrotizing infections, compromised skin grafts and skin flaps as well as some types of arterial insufficiency and ischemia.
HBOT increases the blood’s ability to carry oxygen to wound tissue and enhances white blood cell activity. HBOT also accelerates the formation of blood vessels at the wound site. As a result, the therapy helps reduce swelling, fight infection, and produce healthy tissue.
Hartford Hospital welcomed two new hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers to its Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine Center in 2018. The transparent acrylic chambers deliver 100 percent oxygen at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, which improves oxygen delivery to all tissues in the body.
The new hyperbaric oxygen chambers offer a private space for each patient to rest or watch television or movies during each two hour treatment session.