How Patients Have More Options in Wound Care with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Linda Bernard was almost out of options. She is a diabetic and was suffering from a chronic wound on her foot. Her health care providers had tried many of the traditional wound care treatments with limited results. Finally, she was told that an amputation might be necessary if significant progress could not be made.

Linda was then admitted to the BSA Advanced Wound Center because her wound had become infected. During her treatment, Dr. Mark Drew examined her foot and found an underlying bone infection. Linda was then informed she was a candidate for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).

For many chronic wounds the injured area lacks adequate oxygen to heal. HBOT increases the amount of oxygen your body can transport by forcing the gas to dissolve into the plasma of the blood. This treatment involves breathing 100 percent oxygen in a pressurized chamber for up to two-hours. In the chamber, the pressure can be increased up to three atmospheres, depending on the prescribed treatment. This promotes healing from the inside out.

Linda, like many people, does not enjoy being in tight, cramped spaces, but she says that the experience of receiving HBOT was not unpleasant for her. During the two-hour sessions, she was able to relax and watch television, and her hyperbaric tech, Stephen Ingle, was always present in case she needed him.

After just three sessions, Linda began to notice a difference in her foot. Her wound was beginning to heal. She returned to BSA Advanced Wound Care every weekday for a total of 30 sessions. “Going to the center nearly every day for over a month, you form relationships with everyone who works there. Everyone at BSA Advanced Wound Care is wonderful! They care and it shows in how they treat you.” Linda says.

Now that her treatment plan is complete at BSA Advanced Wound Care, her foot is fully healed, and she is able to walk on it.

HBOT can benefit many patients with the following conditions:

A diabetic wound that has an underlying bone infection

Damaged tissue from radiation therapy

A skin graft with insufficient blood supply

Or certain infections of the bone and/or skin

In addition, the BSA Advanced Wound Center is fully capable of treating a large variety of wounds. Any person with a wound that has shown no improvement in four weeks should consider treatment at the BSA Advanced Wound Center for the best opportunity to heal.

For more information about advanced wound care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, contact us today.

BSA Advanced Wound Care
1000 S. Coulter
Amarillo, TX 79106
Phone: 806-212-4700

Photographed: Stephen Ingle, Hyperbaric Tech next to one of the hyperbaric oxygen chambers at BSA Advanced Wound Care.