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Hyperbaric Medicine
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Wellington Regional Medical Center
First used primarily as a treatment for decompression sickness and other diving accidents, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has proven highly effective for a number of medical and surgical conditions. This treatment is now available at many leading medical centers, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Medicare and is recognized by the American Medical Association.
Noninvasive and painless, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is periodic, short-term inhalation of 100percent oxygen at high pressures. It is typically used to augment other treatments and enhance the body’s natural healing process. For instance, if small vessel disease or vasculitis reduces oxygen flow to a damaged area, hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly increases oxygen delivery to hypoxic tissues.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy dramatically raises the oxygen level in the bloodstream and dissolves oxygen into all body fluids, including plasma, central nervous system fluids, lymph and bone. Delivering up to 15 times more oxygen to damaged tissues than normal respiration, hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases white blood cells’ ability to kill bacteria, reduces local swelling and promotes the growth of new blood vessels. Among the positive impacts for patients:
- accelerated wound healing
- decreased morbidity and long-term disability
- shorter hospital stays
- reduced cost of care
- improved quality of life
Clear Treatment Criteria and Protocols
Wellington Regional Hospital’s Hyperbaric Medicine Program has provided hyperbaric oxygen therapy to patients since 2003, and continues to grow each year. The hospital treats only conditions approved for treatment by the recognized national authority on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Committee of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.
Most commonly, the hospital provides hyperbaric oxygen therapy for:
- Enhancement of healing in selected problem wounds
- Radiation tissue damage (including osteoradionecrosis)
- Preparation for tooth extraction or surgery in areas previously treated with radiation therapy
- Osteomyelitis (refractory)
Other conditions for which the hospital provides hyperbaric oxygen therapy include:
Necrotizing soft tissue infections (subcutaneous tissue, muscle, fascia)
Compromised skin grafts and flaps after surgery
Crush injury, compartment syndrome and other acute traumatic ischemias
An Ideal Treatment Environment
The program’s physicians possess specialized expertise in hyperbaric oxygen therapy and are active clinical researchers in this area. They work closely with the technical and nursing staff, who also have special training in hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The hospital's spacious, advanced hyperbaric facility is designed to provide a comfortable, pleasant environment for patients. The hospital uses PERRY monoplace hyperbaric chambers, which have an impeccable safety record. Their transparent, double-acrylic walls allow technicians to closely monitor patients and allow patients a clear outward view. While inside these total-body chambers, patients can communicate with attending technicians via intercom, watch television, listen to music or nap.
Patients inhale 10 times as much oxygen as at sea level and experience approximately twice the atmospheric pressure. They rarely feel any more discomfort than they would from changes in air pressure during airplane travel.
Throughout treatment, patients are attended to by one of the medical staff who has been specially trained in hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In addition, the program provides excellent wound care before and after hyperbaric treatment.
The frequency and duration of hyperbaric oxygen therapy varies considerably, depending on the condition being treated. Typical treatment is two hours per day, five days a week.
Making Referrals Easy
The hospital treats acute and chronic wound patients. Physicians provide communication back to the patient's primary physician to coordinate care.
The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine is open Monday through Friday, and participates in most health plans, many of which reimburse hyperbaric oxygen therapy, as does Medicare.
The hospital welcomes your calls any time at 561-753-2680.
Note: The information on this Web site is provided as general health guidelines and may not be applicable to your particular health condition. Your individual health status and any required medical treatments can only be properly addressed by a professional healthcare provider of your choice. Remember: There is no adequate substitution for a personal consultation with your physician. Neither Wellington Regional Medical Center, or any of their affiliates, nor any contributors shall have any liability for the content or any errors or omissions in the information provided by this Web site.
The information, content and artwork provided by this Web site is intended for non-commercial use by the reader. The reader is permitted to make one copy of the information displayed for his/her own non-commercial use. The making of additional copies is prohibited.
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