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Heritage Valley WoundCare offers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as a treatment option for a variety of wounds and conditions. HBOT is the utilization of a special chamber to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood by 15 – 20 times. HBOT is available at all three Heritage Valley WoundCare locations: Beaver, Kennedy Township and North Hills.
Our hyperbaric chamber is a clear acrylic tube that is large enough for patients to rest comfortably and not feel confined. The clear acrylic allows our trained staff to easily monitor the patient and to communicate via an intercom system throughout the treatment.
How exactly does it work? The air we breathe is a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases. Typically, our bodies are able to heal themselves with a normal oxygen level, but under certain conditions extra oxygen is needed to promote the healing process. During HBOT, the patient breathes 100% oxygen at greater than normal atmospheric pressures. Breathing pure oxygen under pressure causes more oxygen to be dissolved in the blood and circulated to the rest of the body. The oxygen can improve wound healing by reducing swelling, keeping infection under control and stimulating new blood vessel growth.
Some conditions that can be treated with HBOT at Heritage Valley WoundCare include:
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Radiation induced wounds of the skin
- Chronic bone infections that are not healing by usual therapy
- Failing skin graft and/or flaps
- Arterial ulcers
If you are suffering from a non-healing wound and would like to discuss whether Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may benefit you, please contact one of our WoundCare locations.
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