Do you know that diabetes puts you at risk of developing non-healing wounds that may develop as your condition progresses? While it may not sound interesting, it would be good to know that you can find a way to take care of your wound in case you encounter non-healing wounds. Bakersfield wound care involves treating your wounds with specialized treatments to ensure you have no infections and possible future complications. One such treatment includes hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which uses pure oxygen in an increased air pressure environment to promote healing. Your lungs will take in more oxygen than normal to help fight the bacteria causing your wounds. Please read about how this treatment works in the discussion below to understand it better.
When Do You Need Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
You will likely be a candidate for this treatment after you experience a wound that does not heal even after several medical interventions. Wound care with hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps to prevent infections, possible amputation, and complications that may arise from a non-healing wound.
What Should You Expect During This Treatment?
Before the procedure, you may need to be free from skin and hair care products that contain petroleum to lower the risk of a fire hazard during treatment. Your doctor will provide additional instructions depending on how you should prepare. You may undergo treatment in either one unit for yourself or a room that accommodates several persons. Regardless of the chamber, you will reap the same benefits. The room you will be inside will have higher-than-normal air pressure, creating a temporary fullness in your ears. You can relieve the fullness by yawning. The treatment therapy may last up to two hours, when you can then go for a vital signs check and blood sugar levels check to ensure you are well.
How Does This Treatment Work?
Wounds may damage your blood vessels, causing fluids to leak into your tissues, thus leading to swelling. The swelling will then deprive your damaged blood vessels of oxygen, causing them to die. Therefore, this treatment reduces this swelling by filling your tissues with oxygen, so your tissues are not starved to death. Secondly, this treatment blocks harmful bacteria, thus helping the body resist infection and improving the body’s immune system in fighting infections. Additionally, hyperbaric oxygen therapy will encourage the growth of new blood vessels and growth factors stimulating endothelial cells necessary for healing.
What Are The Results After Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Your doctor may suggest up to 40 treatments with this therapy help with your non-healing wounds. You may also need other treatment options alongside this therapy to ensure you are healing well. You will not be limited to completing your daily tasks after treatment, but you should ask someone to drive you home once treatment is complete. Complications with this treatment are rare.
Non-healing wounds may result from several causes, but with several hyperbaric oxygen therapies, your body can stimulate growth factors that aid in healing. Your body will need to gather more oxygen than usual in a pressurized environment and use it to fight infections and release healing properties. Your doctor will advise you on the correct number of sessions you need to achieve healing with this treatment.
