The Essential Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy In Life-Saving Medicine
May Marks The 4th Annual Hyperbaric Awareness Month
In 2021, CūtisCare USA, launched the Hyperbaric Aware™ Website and the first national campaign to elevate awareness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy - Hyperbaric Awareness USA™. Since its inception, Hyperbaric Awareness USA™ has designated May as Hyperbaric Awareness Month. During this dedicated month (and throughout the year), the Hyperbaric Aware™ campaign is dedicated to championing the advantages of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This therapy plays a crucial role in extending lives, minimizing amputations, and cutting down healthcare expenses, all while enhancing the overall quality of life.
Exactly How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Work?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy involves the patient breathing pure oxygen at ambient pressures two to three times higher than atmospheric. This can take place in a monoplace or multiplace chamber. As the lungs take in large amounts of pressurized oxygen, the patient’s blood becomes more highly oxygenated. As the oxygen-rich blood circulates, it carries more oxygen to the affected areas, such as previously irradiated tissue that has become damaged, chronic foot wounds, etc.
Breathing oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber increases dissolved oxygen in the bloodstream and increases the amount of oxygenated plasma dissolved in damaged tissue. The positive effects include increased oxygenated blood flow to chronic wounds, increased antimicrobial activity, increased growth factor production, angiogenesis, and decreased risk of wound complications and amputations.
The earliest applications for HBOT were used primarily to treat carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness from SCUBA diving.
In the last several decades, however, clinical applications for HBOT have increased significantly.
These are just some of the illnesses that our partners are currently treating in their advanced wound care centers:
- Radiation Tissue Injury After Mastectomy
- Radiation Cystitis (Bleeding From The Bladder Due To Radiation)
- Compromised Skin Grafts And Flaps After Breast Cancer Therapy Or Mastectomy
- Soft Tissue Radionecrosis (STRN)
- Chronic Radiation Tissue Injury (CRTI)
- Osteoradionecrosis (ORN)
- Radiation Cystitis
- Osteomyelitis
- Non-Healing Foot Wounds Caused Or Exacerbated By PAD
- Hematuria Caused By Radiation Therapy For Pelvic Cancers
- Diabetes Related Chronic Lower Extremity Wounds
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services currently lists fifteen indications for HBOT. And the list of treatment capabilities and life-changing patient outcomes continues to grow.
Now’s The Time For You To Take Your Wound Care Center To The Next Level
Are you a physician, owner, executive, or administrator in the planning phase of establishing a comprehensive wound care center? Or are you re-evaluating your current wound management practice or program?
Regardless of your organization’s size, scope, and level of expertise, we’d love to share our 25 years of knowledge and experience with state-of-the-art HBOT treatment solutions with you.