Jackson Hospital | Partners | Spring 2020

10 Jackson Hospital COMMUNITY The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be traced back hundreds of years to British doctors who used oxygen to treat a multitude of diseases. In recent years, oxygen therapy has become more widely used in the treatment of a variety of wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, burns, pressure sores and more. But how exactly does oxygen help heal these wounds? How it works Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, also known as HBOT, involves a patient entering a HEALING AS EASY pressurized pod or room and breath- ing pure oxygen. The oxygen inside the pod or room is at a pressure three times higher than normal, which allows the lungs to gather more oxygen than under normal conditions. This additional oxygen flows through the body via the bloodstream and has been shown to help fight bacteria. Oxy- gen has also been shown to help injured tissue heal faster, which is key to treating wounds that aren’t healing on their own. What to expect Treatment schedules for HBOT vary depending on each patient’s needs. Treatments could last a few days for more acute conditions or a few weeks for chronic conditions. The first oxy- gen therapy treatment will involve a Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treats hard- to-heal wounds as breathing CONDITIONS TREATED BY HBOT INCLUDE: • Diabetic wounds • Radiation tissue damage (osteoradionecrosis) • Bone infections (refractory osteomyelitis) • Compromised skin grafts and flaps • Necrotizing soft tissue infections • Thermal burns • Crush injury, compartment syn- drome and other acute traumatic ischemias • Gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis) • Actinomycosis • Air or gas embolism • Carbon monoxide poisoning • Smoke inhalation • Decompression sickness • Severe anemia • Cyanide poisoning • Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss compression period in which pressure is gradually increased. After the pressure level is reached, the temperature inside the pod is also increased to a comfortable level. While in the HBOT pod, patients can sleep, watch TV, read or simply relax. Jackson Hospital uses the Sigma 36 hyper- baric chamber, one of the largest chambers available. The larger chamber size allows for a more comfortable treatment experi- ence and alleviates confinement anxiety caused by a smaller chamber. HBOT is offered close to home at the Jackson Hospital Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine Center. Professionals at the Would and Hyperbaric Medicine Center are specially trained to treat all the common conditions treated by oxygen therapy and strive to offer the best HBOT experience to their patients. START HEALING TODAY Learn more about the Jackson Hospital Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at jackson.org/wound . WOUND CARE