Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps heal patients after radiation
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been found to promote more rapid healing of many types of wounds. From diabetic foot ulcers to jaws damaged by radiation therapy, hyperbaric chambers are becoming more in demand and more regularly used for treatment of non-healing wounds.
Many of the patients we see today at Beebe Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine have undergone radiation therapy for cancer. Often, radiation therapy damages the soft tissues of the body, including organs. Some of these injuries are not visible to the eye, and patients might not realize how the wounds are hindering their quality of life.
Breathing the super-concentrated oxygen used in hyperbaric therapy promotes more rapid healing of those wounds and can help patients get back to feeling better quickly. The oxygen therapy improves blood supply to soft tissues, which allows them to catch up and heal. It could take months or years to heal naturally without the support of hyperbaric medicine.
We have had phenomenal success in treating radiation patients. For example, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help patients who need to have dental surgery. The therapy helps improve the health of mouth tissue, allowing dental surgery to proceed safely and with more positive outcomes.
Patients tell us that, following their hyperbaric oxygen treatments, they are able to taste foods again; they feel stronger and more like themselves. Beebe Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine recently added a third hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
The BARA-MED Select hyperbaric chambers provide the most advanced and effective treatment available. They are designed to protect patients from inner ear squeeze, a major discomfort that competing hyperbaric chambers fail to address. The chamber is spacious, temperature-controlled, and runs quietly, reducing patient anxiety. It is equipped with an entertainment system, so patients can watch videos during treatment.
Since 1998, Beebe Wound Healing has provided state-of-the-art wound care for the community. Beebe’s outcomes-driven program focuses on healing wounds quickly. The healing rate is consistently greater than 98 percent, exceeding the national average. Many of these wounds went untreated for weeks or months before patients received specialized wound care.
Beebe Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine is located with Diabetes Management in Suite 210 of the Medical Arts Building at Beebe’s Rehoboth Health Campus, 18947 John J. Williams Highway. To learn more about the program, call 302-645-3121.
