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Hyperbaric medicine is the use of oxygen breathed in a pressurized state — which can stimulate chronic wounds to heal.
Each year, millions of people are afflicted with chronic or difficult-to-heal wounds. Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that do not begin to close within two weeks or do not heal completely within four weeks.
No one is immune to these types of wounds. Typically, a chronic wound can be caused by diabetes, circulatory issues, surgical complications, damage from radiation treatment and pressure sores, commonly referred to as “bed sores.” Even a traumatic injury can result in a pesky chronic wound. The question today is:
“How do we effectively treat and heal these types of wounds?”
Treating a chronic wound is a multi-pronged approach. As research is conducted and advancements are made in treatment protocols, healthcare professionals educated in the practice of advanced wound care have learned that patient education, specialized dressings and hyperbaric medicine are all effective treatments. Without engaging the patient in the care of their chronic wound, we are merely placing the proverbial “bandage” on the problem. A happy and healed patient will likely report that a nutritionally balanced diet—as well as the ability to recognize the initial signs of a chronic wound and methods to prevent their occurrence—are key aspects that lend to healing.
Patient education is a critical component in the patient’s treatment plan. While a chronic wound can prove frustrating and disappointing for the patient, the education they receive often serves as the motivation for the patient to heal and stay healed.
Most consider a bandage and some antibiotic ointment to be su cient for the treatment of wounds. However, this is not the case when dealing with the complicated chronic wounds mentioned above. Considerations are made when selecting the type of dressing to use based on the following criteria:
- Is odor present?
- Is the wound draining?
- Is the wound dry?
- How long has the wound been present?
- How deep is the wound?
- What prompted the wound to occur?
There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding what dressing to apply. Therefore, healthcare professionals trained to recognize and treat these conditions are the most effective agents to promote healing.
The big gun in the battle against chronic wounds is hyperbaric medicine. When used aggressively to treat certain chronic indications, the success rate to heal can be astounding. Further, the time to heal can be dramatically reduced. Most of the questions that healthcare professionals receive can be summed up as:
What on earth is hyperbaric medicine?
How does it work?
Hyperbaric medicine, in its simplest definition, is described as the use of oxygen breathed in a pressurized state. Through this, the patient’s blood is saturated with oxygen and, because a chronic wound is considered “oxygen-starved,” the increase in oxygen to the blood stream is what stimulates the wound to close. The treatment occurs daily, approximately two hours in duration, and while this may initially sound overwhelming to the patient, it is often through the education mentioned previously that they realize this is the most effective and positive course of action. Alternatives may include amputation or, in the event that nothing is done, chronic odor, drainage and pain.
Chronic wounds are both serious and dangerous, but they can be healed with the proper treatment and care. Never underestimate the severity of a chronic wound, and remember that resources exist in your community to appropriately treat and heal these wounds.
Article provided by Coastal Carolina Hospital.
