When a patient’s skin tissue is injured, it requires even more oxygen than normal to survive. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the amount of oxygen the blood can carry which stimulates the release of growth factors and stem cells. This improves the healing process and fights infection. HBO therapy is performed by having the patient lie on a padded table that slides into a chamber similar to an MRI chamber. The chamber is then gradually pressurized with pure oxygen. Patients are asked to relax and breathe normally during the treatment normally lasts between 30 minutes to a couple of hours. At the end of the session, the technician slowly depressurizes the chamber.
Conditions which can benefit from HBO therapy include:
