Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Special care for hard-to-heal wounds
During hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), you breathe 100% oxygen while under pressure in a hyperbaric chamber. The increased oxygen dissolves in your blood and circulates through your body. This oxygen-rich blood stimulates your body to release growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing and fight infection.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used at the UHS Center for Advanced Wound Care, based in Binghamton, NY, to treat the following types of conditions:
- A person with diabetes and a wound that is slow to heal, or is simply not healing
- Anyone with a wound that has shown no improvement in 4 weeks
- Certain infections of the bone or skin
- Someone with damaged tissue from radiation therapy
- Someone with a skin graft that has a questionable blood supply
- Brown recluse spider bites or certain serious infections
An average HBOT treatment lasts approximately 2 hours. Most patients receive treatments once a day, 5 days a week. However, patients with more acute problems may require treatment twice a day, 7 days a week. The duration of your HBOT will vary depending on the severity of your condition and your responsiveness to therapy. HBOT is covered by most medical insurance companies, along with Medicare and Medicaid.
HBOT is safe and pain free, although you may feel some pressure on your eardrums during the compression phase of treatment. This is similar to the feeling you have when landing in an airplane or descending from a tall building in an elevator. During HBOT, your safety is top priority for our staff, and you’ll undergo a thorough orientation prior to your first treatment.
You’re the Center of Our Attention
At the UHS Center for Advanced Wound Care, we want to make your hyperbaric oxygen therapy as pleasant as possible, that’s why we offer individual, private treatment chambers.
With our private hyperbaric oxygen treatments, you enjoy:
- Appointments that are convenient for you
- Treatment that is tailored to your needs
- The television, movie or music you choose—or just relax and take a nap
- Greater infection control since you’re in the chamber alone
- A spacious, comfortable chamber
Our private HBOT chambers are made out of clear plastic, so you’ll be able to see out in all directions. You can speak with the attendant—who remains in the room throughout treatment—using a two-way communication system.
Contact Us
If you think hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help with your hard-to-heal wound, speak to your primary care physician. He or she can refer you to the Center for Advanced Wound Care for evaluation by our hyperbaric physician. You may also refer yourself to the center, where we will evaluate you and determine whether HBOT is right for you.
Center for Advanced Wound Care
Binghamton General Hospital
10-42 Mitchell Ave.
607.762.3131