Your body's tissues need oxygen in order to function normally. And when your tissue is damaged or injured it requires even more oxygen. If you have tissue damage, you may be a candidate for hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy.
What is HBO therapy?
If you take part in HBO therapy, you will breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized room or tube. The air pressure is increased to three times greater than normal air pressure. These conditions allow for your lungs to gather a greater amount of oxygen than what would be possible at normal air pressure.
HBO therapy increases the amount of oxygen that is carried throughout your body by your blood. The increased amount of oxygen temporarily restores normal levels of blood gasses and tissue function. This promotes healing by stimulating growth factors and stem cells, and also fights off infection.
What conditions are treated by HBO therapy?
Several medical conditions are treated by HBO therapy. If you have one of the following conditions you may benefit from this form of treatment:
- Air/gas embolism
- Anemia, severe
- Brain abscess
- Arterial gas embolism
- Burn
- Decompression sickness
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Compartment syndrome
- Crushing injury
- Sudden deafness
- Gangrene
- Infection of skin or bone that causes tissue death
- Non-healing wounds, such as a diabetic foot ulcer
- Osteoradionecrosis
- Radiation injury
- Refractory osteomyelitis
- Severe blood loss
- Skin graft or skin flap at risk of tissue death
- Smoke inhalation
- Some acute traumatic ischemia
- Vision loss, sudden and painless
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