Fifteen percent of all people suffering from diabetes will end up developing diabetic foot ulcer at some point of their lives. In the U.S., over 17 million Americans have diabetes and each year doctors diagnose one million new cases. Two major reasons for diabetic foot ulcers are peripheral vascular disease and diabetic neuropathy; and if these diabetic wounds are left untreated or given conventional wound care, serious complications may develop. These complications include infections, gangrene and osteomyelitis. In some diabetics, even amputation may be the need of the hour. Hence, diabetic wound care is extremely important.
About-Diabetic-Wounds
In most diabetics, foot ulcers tend to appear out of the blue. This is probably because people suffering from diabetes lose sensation on their feet and this makes it difficult for them to notice when they get injured. As a result, the wounds are left untreated and tend to be susceptible to infections. Once a person sustains diabetic foot ulcer, it is important to visit a doctor, who will decide whether the ulcer is caused due to narrowing of arteries (ischemic), due to injury to the nerve (neuropathy) or due to a combination of both reasons.
Diabetic Wound Care
Conventional method of diabetic wound care is bandaging the wound along with some topical antibacterial medication and possibly making the patient wear an orthotic to ensure the wound is not subjected to pressure. However, this method does not have a high success rate when used as a standalone diabetic wound care treatment protocol. On the other hand, when this method is used in conjunction with hyperbaric chambers, the prognosis is extremely positive and the risk of amputation diminishes significantly.
Hyperbaric chambers have been used for treating patients from the 1880s. Initially the chambers were used to treat decompression sickness, but now hyperbaric chambers are used to treat a wide variety of chronic and non-healing wounds. The chambers have found an important place in diabetic wound care.
How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Helps in Diabetic Wound Care
In a hyperbaric chamber, the person is exposed to pure oxygen. When this approach is used along with conventional wound care treatment protocols, it encourages the wound to heal. The oxygen facilitates new tissue generation and development of new blood vessels at the wound site. As a result, the wound begins healing and reduces the risk of amputation due to diabetic foot ulcers.
The treatment course for each patient differs based on the infection present in the wound. Some patients may need several treatments daily, while others may require just a single treatment session every day. The treatment ensures that even after the person steps out of the hyperbaric chamber, his blood oxygen levels stay high for many hours and this promotes growth of new blood vessels to aid wound healing.
Why-Should-Your-Health-Facility-Have-a-Hyperbaric-Chamber?
Every hospital should have a wound care center that can help heal diabetic wounds, as well as many other health conditions, such as embolisms, carbon monoxide poisoning, compartment syndrome, incorrectly healing skin grafts and many others chronic and non-healing wounds. This technology has a lot of benefits and also the potential to be profitable for a hospital, as many private insurance companies are more than willing to cover diabetic wound care treatment cost rather than pay for amputations and subsequent care. In addition, Medicare also covers hyperbaric oxygen therapy for non-healing wounds.
Having a hyperbaric chamber means that a hospital can offer an innovative diabetic wound care treatment that is simple, safe and cost-effective. Contact Candescent Healing today and find out how your hospital can get a hyperbaric chamber and offer specialized diabetic wound care.
Hospitals that are interested in opening advanced wound care centers should look at hyperbaric chambers to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to their patients. Traditionally hyperbaric chambers were used to treat divers, who sustained injuries while diving. However, studies have shown that these chambers can also be used to treat many kinds of wounds, such as burn wounds, diabetic ulcers and injury due to radiation therapy. Usually wound care centers use hyperbaric chambers in conjunction with other treatment protocols to hasten and promote the healing process.
How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?
Under normal circumstances, a person inhales about 21 percent of oxygen, which is carried to the different parts of the body by haemoglobin. In non-healing wounds, the flow of blood gets blocked and as a result the tissue does not get the much-needed oxygen to promote healing. Also, certain strains of bacteria thrive in the absence of oxygen, causing further problems.
A hyperbaric chamber is essentially a long, clear tube that has sufficient space for a patient to lie down. Once inside, the patient is enveloped by 100 percent pure oxygen, which is compressed. The pressure of the oxygen is similar to what a diver experiences while diving underwater. This compressed and pure oxygen is inhaled by the patient, forcing the blood to carry more oxygen to different tissues, including the damaged and traumatized ones. As a result, new blood vessels and tissue growth is promoted and this aids in the healing process. Furthermore, high levels of oxygen help the while blood corpuscles fight bacteria and other infections.
Typically hyperbaric oxygen therapy is administered for two hours a day and five days a week until doctors notice healing or sufficient improvement in the state of the wound.
Uses of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used for many different kinds of wounds. Scientific and research studies have shown that when hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used along with other wound treatment measures for advanced wound care, it can reduce the need for amputation. Some of uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy are listed below:
- Delayed radiation injury
- Chronic osteomyelitis
- Chronic diabetes ulcer
- Acute carbon monoxide poisoning
- Anemia
- Gas gangrene
- Necrotizing soft tissue infection
- Gas or air embolism
- Preparing and preserving skin grafts
- Intracranial abscess
- Crush injury
- Decompression sickness
- Compartment Syndrome
- Clostridial myositis
Candescent Healing can help your medical facility create a state-of-the-art wound care center that can help improve advanced wound care outcomes in patients. Using cutting-edge technology and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, your wound care center can ensure your patients get the best possible care.
Contact us for more information.
Foot ulcers are a major cause of hospitalization among diabetics and every year the U.S. spends billions of dollars in direct as well as indirect health care to treat this problem. According to estimates, 20 percent of diabetics with foot ulcers end up needing an amputation, and 67,000 such amputations are done each in the United States. Unfortunately, within 3 to 5 years of the amputation, nearly 50 percent of the patients die.
These grim statistics have created an awareness among patients and health care practitioners, who are now using hyperbaric oxygen therapy more often to treat chronic, non-healing wounds, such as foot ulcers.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
This therapy involves breathing 100 percent pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. As oxygen is important in the physiology of wound healing, this therapy can be used in conjunction with other treatment protocols to aid in the healing of chronic foot ulcers. The treatment helps to boost tissue oxygen tension and this promotes wound healing, reduced edema and destruction of certain anaerobic bacteria.
Currently hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an approved treatment protocol for 13 conditions, which are as follows:
- Acute CO2 poisoning ( need a call schedule)
- Decompression illness ( transfer to Multiplace)
- Gas Embolism( Transfer to Multiplace)
- Gas gangrene( inpatient only)
- Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
- Crush Injury
- Necrotizing Fasciitis ( Inpatient)
- Preparation and Preservation of skin grafts and Flaps
- Acute Arterial Insufficiency ( Inpatient only)
- Arterial ulcer persisting after large vessel reconstruction
- Chronic Refractory Osteomyelitis
- Osteoradionecrosis (examples jaw, chest wall)
- Soft Tissue radiation damage(examples: proctitis, cystitis, enteritis, gingival, vaginal, oral cavity, breast)
- Cyanide poisoning
- Actinomycosis
- Diabetic Wagner grade 111 or higher
How Hyperbaric Chambers Heal Foot Wounds
It is already well established that oxygen plays a major role in wound healing. Several research and studies state that oxygen can help heal wounds faster. This finding has been implemented by several doctors and patients have found quicker relief. Oxygen helps to meet the increased demand for energy by the regenerating tissue, replication of fibroblasts and getting the macrophages to the injury site. When oxygen is administered under increased pressure, it causes in vitro phagocytosis, which helps to promote wound healing. It has been observed in many chronic foot ulcers, the major cause of non-healing is hypoxemia that occurs due to peripheral vascular disease. Due to poor circulation, antibiotics and leukocytes cannot reach the wound and it also causes proliferation of anaerobic bacteria.
When a patient with foot ulcer is given hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the dissolved oxygen in the blood increases. This increase facilitates wound healing by increasing the amount of growth factors produced by the cells in the wound. As the growth factors increase, the cells begin replicating, thereby filling the wound with new tissue. In addition, the therapy also promotes the formation of new blood vessels and this ensures that the wound site keeps getting oxygen rich blood.
In Conclusion
Using hyperbaric chambers for foot ulcers can be a valuable supplemental treatment along with conventional wound healing protocols. It helps to increase the rate of wound healing and also reduces the need for amputation in diabetics. In addition, it has been seen that hyperbaric oxygen therapy also increases the number of wounds that heal.
Candescent Healing can help your medical facility set up a modern and state-of-the-art wound care center that can help improve the outcome of chronic and non-healing foot wounds and ulcers. Contact Candescent Healing today to find out how hyperbaric chambers and hyperbaric oxygen therapy can offer best possible care to your patients.
Contact us for more information.
In most people, healing is a natural process, as the body has the ability to regenerate tissue that is damaged and traumatized. However, there are some people, who require wound care due to a medical problem. There are millions of Americans who suffer from chronic wounds that do not respond to standard treatment protocols. Due to healing deficiencies such people have complications, such as infection, severe pain, loss of function and maybe even amputation. Chronic, non-healing wounds prevent people from doing things that they love and like doing.
When the body’s natural healing process is disturbed and regular medical treatment does not work, the body requires specialized care. This care is available just in wound care centers that use a variety of specialized and sophisticated wound healing protocols and techniques, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These centers offer a team of medical experts, who have the knowledge and ability to facilitate wound healing using a variety of modern and progressive options.
When to Visit a Specialized Wound Care Center?
The healing time for a wound varies depending on the severity. Some wounds heal in a few days, while others may take a few weeks. However, patients, who have certain health issues, may need specialized wound care to facilitate and hasten healing. Typically most doctors recommend treating chronic and non-healing wounds early to reduce the chances of complications and increase the chances of a positive outcome. When chronic wounds are treated in specialized wound care centers, it can reduce hospital stays by up to 25 percent and also reduce the chances of an amputation.
Some of the reasons to visit a specialized wound care center to get hyperbaric oxygen treatment are as follows:
- Venous and arterial ulcers
- Diabetic ulcers
- Pressure sores
- Gangrene
- Radiation burns
- Post-operative infection
- Traumatic injuries
- Skin lacerations
- Compromised skin graft
- Bone infection
Once a patient visits the wound center, a team of multidisciplinary specialists evaluate the patient, conduct a physical exam and record complete health history. This helps them identify the causes that are preventing the wound from healing. As chronic, non-healing wounds are usually associated with other health problems, the center will integrate treatment for these problems in conjunction with the patient’s primary health care physician. The multidisciplinary approach allows patients to get customized and individual wound care.
Possible Treatment Protocols
Many wound care centers use hyperbaric oxygen therapy to facilitate healing. When the body is exposed to 100 percent pure oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber, wound healing can occur faster, as the oxygen helps the body to fight the infection, create new blood vessels and destroy anaerobic bacteria.
In addition, the patients may also have to undergo the following protocols:
- Debridement – This procedure involves removing dead tissue, preventing infection and creating a healthy base so that the tissue can regenerate
- Antimicrobial and Compression Dressing – This type of dressing helps to prevent as well treat infection and reduce swelling. It also facilitates the growth of healthy tissue in the wound site
- X-rays and Blood Cultures – Specialized wound care involves conduction vascular and laboratory studies
- Antibiotic Therapy – This therapy prevents and treats infection
- Offloading – Supplying patients with physical aids, such as crutches, wheelchairs, walkers, splints and orthopedic shoes, to ease pressure and stress on the wound
Hospital that have specialized wound care centers can help many patients with chronic and non-healing wounds. Hence, it makes sense to contact Candescent Healing, who can help your medical facility set up a state-of-the-art wound care center with all modern and latest equipment and technology. Such a center can improve the prognosis of chronic, non-healing wounds, reducing the rate of amputation.
Contact us today for more information.
image from mediaspencer.org
Hospitals that are interested in opening advanced wound care centers should look at hyperbaric chambers to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to their patients. Traditionally hyperbaric chambers were used to treat divers, who sustained injuries while diving. However, studies have shown that Hyperbaric Therapy can also be used to treat many kinds of wounds, such as burn wounds, diabetic ulcers, and injuries due to radiation therapy, failed skin grafts etc. Usually wound care centers use Hyperbaric chambers in conjunction with other treatment protocols to hasten and promote the healing process.
How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?
Under normal circumstances, a person inhales about 21 percent of oxygen, which is carried to the different parts of the body by haemoglobin. In non-healing wounds, the flow of blood gets blocked and as a result the tissue does not get the much-needed oxygen to promote healing. Also, certain strains of bacteria thrive in the absence of oxygen, causing further problems.
Once inside a Hyperbaric chamber, the patient is enveloped by 100 percent pure oxygen, which is compressed. The pressure of the oxygen is similar to what a diver experiences while diving underwater. This compressed and pure oxygen is inhaled by the patient, forcing the blood to carry more oxygen to different tissues, including the damaged and traumatized ones. As a result, new blood vessels and tissue growth is promoted and this aids in the healing process. Furthermore, high levels of oxygen help the while blood corpuscles fight bacteria and other infections.
Typically hyperbaric oxygen therapy is administered for two hours a day and five days a week until doctors notice healing or sufficient improvement in the state of the wound.
Uses of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used for many different kinds of wounds. Scientific and research studies have shown that when hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used along with other wound treatment measures for advanced wound care, it can reduce the need for amputation. Some of uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy are listed below:
- Delayed radiation injury
- Chronic osteomyelitis
- Chronic diabetes ulcer
- Acute carbon monoxide poisoning
- Anemia
- Gas gangrene
- Necrotizing soft tissue infection
- Gas or air embolism
- Preparing and preserving skin grafts
- Intracranial abscess
- Crush injury
- Decompression sickness
- Compartment Syndrome
- Clostridial myositis
Candescent Healing can help your medical facility create a state-of-the-art wound care center that can help improve advanced wound care outcomes in patients. Using cutting-edge technology and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, your wound care center can ensure your patients get the best possible care.
Contact us today to learn more!
Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe. It comprises almost 21 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere, nearly 50 percent of the earth’s crust, two-thirds of the human body’s mass and nine-tenths of the mass of water. Oxygen is required by most living creatures for survival. As one of the most abundant and vital elements in creation, it’s no surprise that oxygen is also a vital component to the healing process.
We are dependent on oxygen as organisms for an energy source for metabolism, repair and maintenance of cellular function. Oxygen also has a significant role in wound healing. Oxygen is vital to providing the additional energy source required to perform the healing and repairing process.
It has been shown in clinical studies that wound partial pressures of oxygen are reduced and could be the reason why wound repair is delayed. Chronic wounds have been studied and found to be hypoxic. Adding supplements of oxygen has been shown to improve the healing of chronic wounds. As long as other factors like nutrients, blood flow and immune function remain up to par, oxygen has been effective in healing chronic wounds.
Oxygen is used at higher pressures in order to stimulate the healing of wounds. Atmospheric pressure is raised in hyperbaric chambers in order to increase the pressure of oxygen. Hyperbaric chambers can vary in size, but they all have the same function: expedite the healing process by exposing your body to increased oxygen levels.
Collaborating with a Center for Limb Prevention can help improve clinical outcomes of complex patients, coordinate the treatment plan for your patient and provide greater patient satisfaction. For more information on how to establish a Wound Care Center, contact us today.
As the ball dropped down on December 31st, 2012, many of us made New Year’s resolutions. People around the country made promises to find a new hobby or travel to a new destination. However, individuals with diabetes may have had a different perspective on their New Year’s resolutions. Their thoughts on self-improvement in the New Year were probably more health-related.
Even though we’re a month into 2013, it’s not too late to make a new resolution: focus on foot wound prevention. Although it’s very specific, diabetics are more at risk for developing wounds and complications that prevent healing. As we continue foot first into 2013, remember the following tips to prevent wounds:
- Avoid scalding water and strong soaps – While washing your feet every day is critical to prevent wounds, only use lukewarm water and mild soaps. Hot water and strong soaps can irritate the skin and lead to infections.
- Assess your foot health regularly – Reviewing your feet for wounds should become as natural as changing your clothes or brushing your teeth. Whether it’s changes in colors or the possible appearance of blisters, take specific notes on any changes you encounter.
- Wear thick socks – Protecting your feet is vital. Many people think that wearing good shoes is enough protection. Thinly-veiled socks or socks with prominent seams may rub up against your skin and cause irritations.
- Cut your toenails – If you let your toenails grow too long, you run the risk of an ingrown toenail. This increases the chances of impacting your skin.
- Stay away from being barefoot – Many people feel comfortable walking around in their own home without socks and shoes. You’re not in public and you know you clean your house, so you’re safe, right? The truth is, it’s still critical to protect your feet at all time.
If you notice any changes or experience any wounds, it’s imperative that you see a professional. Attempting to treat your injuries on your own can lead to long-term complications. Chances are, you may need treatment and comprehensive care available in a Center for Advanced Wound Healing, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy helps your body’s natural ability to heal wounds and prevent possible the loss of limbs. If you would like more information on this type of wound treatment, Contact Candescent Healing today.
Necrotizing Fasciitis is an infection caused by bacteria that’s extremely rare but very serious. Otherwise knows as the flesh-eating bacteria, this disease can destroy skin, fat and the tissue covering muscles. About one-quarter of the people who contract Necrotizing Fasciitis die from the disease.
Necrotizing Fasciitis is caused by several different kinds of bacteria, some of which cause conditions like strep throat and impetigo. A person can contract this flesh-eating disease in several ways.
When bacteria enter a wound from an insect bite, burn or cut
- Wounds that come in contact with ocean water, saltwater fish or raw oysters
- A muscle strain or bruise
- An intestinal surgery site
Early treatment of Necrotizing Fasciitis is very important, and the sooner that treatment is administered, the better. Among other forms of treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help prevent tissue death and promote healing in patients. Since some of the bacteria involved in Necrotizing Fasciitis thrive in low-oxygen environments, HBOT inhibits anaerobic and other bacteria from replicating, spreading and releasing toxins. Hyperbaric therapy also has been shown to boost the effects of antibiotics and help the body naturally defend against the flesh-eating bacteria.
Along with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, some other treatments to Necrotizing Fasciitis include:
- Surgery to remove infected tissue and fluids to stop the spread of infection
- Medicines such as antibiotics
- Procedures to treat complications, like shock, breathing issues and failure of organs
Candescent Healing can help create a Wound Care Center in your medical facility. This wound care center can help improve clinical outcomes of complex patients, coordinate the treatment plan for your patient and provide greater patient satisfaction. To request a market and financial analysis from Candescent Healing at no obligation, click here.
The image of a Hyperbaric Chamber can be an odd sight for someone who doesn’t know what it is. In 1986, pictures of pop singer Michael Jackson lying in a strange chamber surfaced, causing the general public to wonder if the star was receiving special anti-aging or other mysterious treatment. In actuality, he was laying in a Hyperbaric Chamber. To an outsider, a Hyperbaric Chamber may look peculiar at first. To someone who knows the benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, this medical device looks like a saving grace.
A Hyperbaric Chamber is a medical device that uses pumps and valves to recreate a higher air pressure, comparable to the experience by divers when they are below the ocean surface. This pressure changes the way a human body will process blood gases, including oxygen and nitrogen.
The first experimental compression chambers were introduced in 1860. The Hyperbaric Chamber is a cylindrical metal or acrylic tube that is large enough to hold a person inside it, and even sometimes more than one person. The, air, oxygen or another breathing mixture is pumped into the chamber by a compressor or pressurized tanks. The air pressure inside the chamber is usually 1.5-3 times the ordinary atmospheric pressure.
This high-pressure environment can be used to treat a number of diseases. Hyperbaric Chambers are proven to assist in the treatment or prevention of the following conditions:
- Acute CO2 poisoning
- Decompression illness
- Gas embolism
- Gas gangrene
- Acute traumatic Peripheral Ischemia
- Crush injury
- Necrotizing Fascilitis
- Preparation and preservation of Skin Grafts and Flaps
- Acute Arterial Insufficiency
- Arterial Ulcer persisting after large Vessel Reconstruction
- Chronic Refractory Osteomyelitis
- Osteoradionecrosis
- Soft Tissue radiation damage (examples: proctitis, cystitis, enteritis, gingival, vaginal, oral cavity, breast)
- Cyanide poisoning
- Actinomycosis
- Diabetic Wagner grade 111 or higher
This high-pressure environment allows the body to receive an increased availability of oxygen. Using oxygen under increased pressure will speed healing and repair tissue damage.
If you are interested in learning more about Hyperbaric Chambers or collaborating with a Center for Limb Preservation, Advanced Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Therapy, contact Candescent Healing today.
Thanksgiving and the holidays are upon us – a time filled with family, food and relaxation. However, for those with diabetes, the holidays can be stressful as they are more at risk to develop wounds and complications that prevent healing. The last thing that diabetics want to think about during this time of the year is how they will treat a new wound or one that has gotten worse.
As you enter the holiday season, keep in mind the following safety tips to help prevent wounds and associated complications:
- Keep an Eye Out – Inspect your feet daily for blisters and callouses. Make note of any changes that you may see.
- Moisturize – Use moisturizer on a daily basis.
- Find the Right Shoes – Wear shoes that fit properly and wear close toed shoes so that you can avoid toe injuries. Family parties often mean that you will be around many more people in the same room than normal. Having proper footwear will ensure that your feet are protected.
- Prevent Infection – Be sure to wear socks that wick away moisture. This will prevent fungal infections in your feet.
- Get a Holiday Pedicure – Practicing good foot hygiene will ensure that diabetic foot wounds can be prevented. This means that you should wash your feet daily, keep your toenails clipped and smooth away callouses with a pumice stone.
If you already have a foot wound or notice a new wound over the holidays, don’t delay. Treatment of these wounds will immediately help prevent infection. Rise the wound with water, but don’t use soap as it can cause irritation. Bandage it and chance the bandage daily, checking for signs of infection. Keep pressure off of your feet if possible.
If the wound is slow to heal, see your doctor immediately. You may need further treatment for a wound that won’t heal, such as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a highly effective modality that helps the body’s natural ability to heal wounds and prevent possible limb loss. If you would like more information on this type of wound treatment, Contact Candescent Healing today.
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