Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one of the most effective treatments for bad sores. It is usually reserved for patients with serious sores. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy works by increasing the oxygen quantity in the body to stimulate skin healing. The treatment uses a similar technology of the pressurized chamber as a treatment for scuba divers with oxygen diminution. It enhances oxygen flow to the affected region of the skin, promoting cell growth and assisting to battle bacterial infections. That’s why hyperbaric oxygen therapy for bed sores is the best treatment.
How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Bed Sores Works
A pressure ulcer or bed sore occurs when something stops the blood supply to some part of the skin like prolonged pressure on the region. Bed sores form when the skin tissues die or get damaged due to a lack of sufficient blood over time. These are painful skin lesions that might break open and pose risks of infections. In its initial stage, a bed sore can display dead patches of skin and reach deep in the skin to affect the ligaments and underlying muscles.
In serious bed sore conditions, a physician might prescribe hyperbaric oxygen therapy to promptly increase oxygen supply to the part of the skin that is damaged by necrotic tissue or dying. This kind of therapy might work even when other treatments haven’t helped in the improvement of the words. During hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment, a patient breathes in purified oxygen in a unique compression chamber or via a tube. It’s a similar procedure as a deep-rooted treatment for deep-sea scuba divers who need decompression.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for bed sores has been used for about five decades. Doctors use this process to cure patients with diabetic ulcers to lessen the probability of amputation considerably. For patients with non-healing or chronic wounds, this treatment increases the rate of skin healing and triggers restoration. Inhaling pure oxygen activates immune cells, controls inflammation, and starts the procedure of tissue regeneration. It is an effective treatment option for patients with stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers.
Is hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Bed Sores Effective?
Most bed sores become non healing due to the susceptibility to infection. Uncovered chronic wounds tend to be at a higher risk of bacterial infection that continues to destroy tissues and increase the production of free radicals. Infections cause inflammation in the bed sore area, together with the imbalance of chemicals produced to the tissues. The imbalance can inhibit the supply of essential nutrients into the wound; hence inhibiting the healing process. Steps to prevent and control infections are important to the healing of bed sores.
Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Bed Sores Life-threatening?
Generally, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not a life-threatening type of treatment for patients with serious bed sores. A number of patients complain of feeling hungry or tired after the process. Nevertheless, rare complications include nearsightedness and temporary eye lens chance and middle ear injury due to changes in air pressure
