Why Wound Healing Matters
Chronic or slow-healing wounds can dramatically impact quality of life, particularly for adults living with diabetes, vascular conditions, or injuries that resist traditional care. For these individuals, finding therapies that help tissues recover is essential. One approach gaining recognition is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for wound healing.
How HBOT Works in Wound Care
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This environment increases the amount of oxygen delivered to the body’s tissues, supporting natural healing processes. Oxygen plays a critical role in reducing inflammation, improving circulation, and helping new blood vessels form — all key factors in repairing wounds that otherwise fail to close.
Clinical Applications of HBOT
Research and clinical practice show HBOT may be useful as an adjunctive therapy for a wide range of wound types:
- Diabetic ulcers and vascular insufficiency ulcers that resist standard treatment.
- Infected wounds, including necrotizing infections and clostridial myonecrosis.
- Traumatic injuries, such as crush injuries, compartment syndrome, and compromised skin grafts or flaps.
- Burns and radiation-induced wounds, including osteoradionecrosis of the jaw, radiation cystitis, and radiation proctitis.
In each of these cases, HBOT is not typically used as a stand-alone treatment but as part of a broader wound management plan. Surgeons and wound care specialists often include HBOT when conventional therapies alone are insufficient.
What the Evidence Suggests
Multiple studies have demonstrated that HBOT can improve wound healing outcomes when integrated into comprehensive care. Patients receiving HBOT have shown improved tissue repair, lower rates of infection, and better graft survival in certain cases. Importantly, access to hyperbaric chambers has expanded, making this therapy more widely available for patients in need.
Moving Forward in Wound Care
For adults struggling with chronic wounds, HBOT offers a supportive pathway that may help accelerate healing when other therapies fall short. While more large-scale research continues, current evidence supports its role as an important adjunctive therapy for a variety of wound types.
Check out the article here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233539416_Hyperbaric_oxygen_and_wound_healing
