Inside the CVMC Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbarics, patients lie in an enclosed, clear, cylindrical chamber. Although they look as if they are enjoying a day of rest and relaxation – watching television or napping – they are undergoing a series of oxygen therapy treatments for a variety of serious conditions.
On average, the air we breathe daily is about 21% oxygen. Wounds need oxygen to heal properly, and exposing a wound to 100% oxygen can dramatically speed the healing process. Typically administered in a special type of chamber called a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, patients are completely immersed in 100% oxygen, which is then carried throughout the body. This helps fight bacteria by improving immune system function, thereby stimulating healthy cells and accelerating the body’s natural healing process.
A number of evidence-based practices show that hyperbaric oxygen therapy speeds wound healing for many types of wounds. Research shows that it’s helpful for:
- Diabetic ulcers
- Radiation injuries
- Soft tissue infections
- Failed skin grafts and flaps
- Chronic Osteomyelitis (bone infections)
Particularly important to diabetic patients, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective healing treatment for wounds that reduces the risk for amputation.
During the procedure
The CVMC Wound Care Center currently has two hyperbaric oxygen chambers and is currently in the process of adding and additional chamber. Here is what usually happens during a hyperbaric oxygen therapy session:
- Patients are asked to remove clothing and wear a medical gown that is 100 percent cotton.
- Patients lie on a table that slides into the chamber, which is a clear plastic tube that’s about 7 feet long.
- Patients relax and breathe normally during the procedure while they can watch TV or listen to music.
- Patients may talk to the clinical therapist at any time during the treatment while the therapist can see patients and talk to them at all times
- The chamber is sealed and then filled with pressurized oxygen.
- A typical session will last up to two hours.
- After the therapy, technicians will slowly depressurize the chamber.
The Catawba Valley Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbarics includes a panel of four physicians. Dr. Alan Keys, General Surgery (Medical Director), Dr. Christopher Griggs, Vascular Surgery; Dr. Lindsay Bools, Vascular Surgery; and Dr. Ronald Locke, General Surgery. Our approach provides our patients with a broad spectrum of medical expertise. Our entire medical staff has also attended an extensive wound and hyperbaric oxygen certification program. The costs associated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy prescribed by our trained physicians are reimbursable through Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial insurers. For more information or to make an appointment, please contact the center located at 1501 Tate Medical Commons, Suite 105 in Hickory at (828) 485-1924. A physician referral is not required.
