Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

One of only a few locations in Minnesota, Abbott Northwestern offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy which can activate the body's ability to repair itself. In addition to multidisciplinary wound care, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can dramatically improve wounds where the healing process has stalled. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is most commonly used in the treatment of patients who are experiencing:

• diabetic foot wounds
• chronic bone infections (osteomyelitis)
• compromised skin grafts and surgical incisions
• radiation damage to soft tissue and bone
• other complex, chronic, non-healing wounds.

How it works

Many wounds fail to heal because damaged tissues receive too little oxygen for the body to repair itself. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivers 100 percent oxygen to the wound at increased pressure, which increases the pressure of oxygen carried by the blood. The result is more oxygen being delivered to the organs and tissues in the body, enhancing the benefits of certain antibiotics, activating white blood cells to fight infection, and promoting the healing process.

Abbott Northwestern has three chambers in which the therapy is administered. A chamber is a clear, acrylic vessel that a patient lies in comfortably during his or her treatment.

Typically, a patient will receive the hyperbaric oxygen therapy for approximately 90 minutes each day, five days a week for an average period of six weeks. This period can be shorter or longer based on the reason for treatment. Patients may choose to watch a personal TV monitor or take a nap during their treatment. All chambers are monitored closely by certified hyperbaric physicians and supervisors who can communicate with the patient at any point during the session.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is offered in Abbott Northwestern's Wound Clinic, located on the fourth floor of the Main Hospital.