SMC Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center is augmenting its already superior ability to treat non-healing wounds with the addition of a Hyperbaric Chamber and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO).
“By adding a hyperbaric chamber to our Wound Care facility, we are taking one more giant leap in continuing to grow our services and our ability to care for our community,” said Dr. Tammy Torres, CEO. “Our goal is to help our patients heal and what better way than with a hyperbaric chamber which accelerates healing time.”
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can be used to treat slow-to-heal or non-healing wounds, diabetic foot or leg ulcers, non-healing skin grafts or surgical flaps, surgical wounds that have reopened, symptoms occurring on or around a point of radiation, chronic bone infections, and crush injuries.
“The Hyperbaric Chamber will greatly enhance our capabilities,” said Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center Medical Director Dr. Joseph Megara. “A Hyperbaric Chamber uses 100-percent oxygen at a higher-than-normal pressure to treat wounds and help them heal quicker.”
In a Hyperbaric Chamber, the patient breathes 100-percent pure oxygen while laying inside a pressurized chamber.
“The air pressure inside a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere,” said Dr. Megara. “This hyperbaric, or high pressure, dose of oxygen helps the blood carry more oxygen to organs and connective tissues to promote wound healing. It also activates the white blood cells to fight infection.”
A dedicated nurse will be on hand during a patient’s session to monitor the pressure inside the chamber and the patient’s well-being. Each session is approximately two hours long.
“Breathing the pure oxygen increases the concentration of oxygen in the bloodstream where it is delivered to a patient’s wound for fast healing,” said Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center Program Director Renee Miller, RN. “Oxygen is needed for cellular function and can kill bacteria and cause resistance to infection. Oxygen stimulates the creation of new blood vessels and aids growth factors to form new skin. Essentially, HBO therapy helps heal the wound from the inside out.”
The Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy program is scheduled to begin around Thanksgiving.
If you or someone you know has diabetes or a non-healing wound, call SMC Wound Care at 856-878-6884 or visit smc.health/services/wound-care.