Adventist Health / Wound Healing Center provides access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)—a simple, non-invasive, painless treatment that enhances the body's natural healing and strengthens the immune system, resulting in more rapid and complete healing for patients. HBOT can benefit patients who have the following indications:
- Diabetic wounds of the lower extremity (Type I or II diabetic, Wagner grade III wound or higher, following 30 days of standard wound therapy).
- Chronic refractory osteomyelitis.
- Osteoradionecrosis.
- Soft tissue radionecrosis.
- Compromised skin grafts and flaps.
- Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency.
- Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia.
- Progressive necrotizing infections.
- Actinomycosis.
- Crush injuries and suturing of severed limbs (acute).
- Gas gangrene (acute).
- Gas embolism.
- Acute carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Cyanide poisoning.
- Decompression sickness.
The Wound Healing Center's assistance in development and implementation of individualized therapies, use of established protocols and proactive care and case management has been extremely successful in treating chronic wounds that have previously resisted healing—with outcomes that far exceed the national average.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Treatments
- Uses pure oxygen to enhance the body's natural ability to heal.
- Encompasses 100% oxygen under two to three times greater pressure than atmospheric pressure.
- This increased pressure (up to three atmospheres) causes a 10- to 15- fold increase in plasma oxygen concentration with a resultant increase in tissue oxygenation.
- Cannot be duplicated with topical O2 treatment.
- Is extremely safe and effective when administered by qualified professionals.
HBOT is gaining support.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") has continued to view hyperbaric medicine as cost-effective in limb salvage and has recently increased the covered indications for HBOT.