Issue Date: July 6, 2008
High-tech help for wound care
A machine fit for a sci-fi movie is key to a therapeutic treatment.
By Dr. Tedd Mitchell
Increased oxygen can help heal many types of wounds.
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When I was in medical school, I was fascinated by the hyperbaric chamber, which is used to treat chronic wounds. It sounds like something out of a Jules Verne novel, but it has made a big difference for many people suffering from bed sores, diabetic foot ulcers, serious burns and other wounds.
In hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO therapy), a patient is placed in an airtight chamber, inside which the atmospheric pressure is then turned up higher than normal (the increase can range from slight to significant). The concentration of oxygen delivered into the chamber also is increased (our atmosphere contains approximately 21% oxygen -- in these chambers it can be increased up to 100%). Thus, the patient being treated is breathing more oxygen in an environment of higher pressure. As a result, numerous changes occur physiologically that can improve how various types of wounds heal.
The idea behind HBO therapy isn't new. In fact, the concept of "bathing" people in highly pressurized oxygen chambers dates back centuries. In today's medicine, it has found at least one niche in the treatment of chronic wounds.
Although it's still not completely understood why HBO therapy works, the extra oxygen delivered to the infected tissue leads to an increase in the number of oxygen radicals -- killing bacteria, particularly anaerobic bacteria (notorious in chronic wounds). HBO therapy also works synergistically with antibiotics, making them more effective. In addition, the oxygen may promote the growth of tissue cells called fibroblasts, which may aid in a process called neovascularization -- promoting better blood supply to the wound.
We don't know which of the physiological changes from HBO therapy plays the greatest role in recovery, but the effects are real and beneficial. So the next time you hear about HBO therapy, don't just think about science fiction -- think about a novel approach to treating folks with chronic wounds.
Contributing Editor Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president of Dallas' Cooper Clinic, writes HealthSmart every week.
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