The body’s tissues need adequate oxygen to function correctly. A shortage of oxygen will hinder the survival of damaged tissues, causing persistent wounds or infections. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment involves inhaling 100% oxygen for a specific amount of time and at a specific pressure.
It’s considered the primary or secondary therapy option for various infections, including fungal infections, gas gangrene, diabetic foot infections, refractory osteomyelitis, necrotizing fasciitis, neurosurgical infections, and more. HBOT’s anti-inflammatory properties are vital in reducing tissue damage and spreading infection.
This article explains everything you should know about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help treat chronic infections.
How HBOT Aids Against Infections
Several studies have shown the efficacy of HBOT in treating patients with infectious disorders. A study published on Science Direct found that HBOT significantly increased blood O2 concentrations, which are typically low under average meteorological conditions but enough to fulfill the primary needs of normal tissue.
Also, the arterial blood oxygen pressure can rise to 2000 mmHg during HBOT, which is beneficial in the repair of inflammatory and microcirculatory illnesses.
Other benefits of HBOT in Las Vegas for infection treatment include.
Strengthens immune system
An HBOT chamber’s high-oxygen environment can boost your body’s natural immune response’s efficiency and efficacy. Lab experiments have found that HBOT reduces autoimmune symptoms, such as erythema. HBOT’s oxygen helps your white blood cells kill bacteria, which is highly beneficial in fighting persistent infections like flesh-eating and deep bone infections.
Reduces Skin inflammation
Inflammation is a common effect of infections. Studies have demonstrated that patients with significant inflammation and swelling benefit from HBOT, particularly in the limbs. The oxygen-rich environment created by hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves blood flow and delivers oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to inflamed and swollen tissues. HBOT also promotes angiogenesis, which aids in the healing of chronic skin injuries.
Common infective treatments using HBOT
Diabetic foot infections
Diabetic foot infection (DFIs) is a common risk in diabetic patients and increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. DFIs can range in severity from simple paronychia to severe bone infection.
HBOT is a current therapeutic option for diabetic foot ulcers that have shown to significantly increase the healing frequency in diabetic foot infections and decrease the need for amputations and debridement, both of which necessitate surgical equipment.
A study on HBOT antimicrobial mechanisms and clinical application for infections found that more than ten sessions of HBOT accelerated wound healing by 78.3 percent.
Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs)
NSTIs are rare but deadly bacteria with the potential to kill muscles, skin, and underlying tissue. When a tiny scrape or cut contaminates saliva or soil, anyone can become infected with the bacteria that cause necrotizing soft tissue diseases.
Improving survival with NSTIs has been associated with HBOT. A study found that HBOT significantly reduced the mortality rate of patients with NSTI, despite the increased cost and extended hospitalization stay.
Osteomyelitis Infection
Osteomyelitis is a type of bone infection and inflammation that occurs when a fungal or bacterial infection enters a bone through the circulation or surrounding tissue. It is estimated that 2–5 per 10,000 people in the United States have it.
The scarcity of blood in the bones and the fact that medicines often fail to penetrate the bones make treating osteomyelitis quite challenging.
Studies have demonstrated that HBOT enhances the effectiveness of refractory osteomyelitis treatment when used with other therapies. After incorporating HBOT as an additional treatment, 60-85 percent of patientswith refractory osteomyelitis had their infection suppressed.
Fungal infections
Fungal infections are caused by a fungus that infects body tissue, causing infections that start on the skin, spread to the tissue, bones, and organs, or affect the entire body. According to recent estimates, about 3 million people suffer from chronic or invasive fungal infections, resulting in over 600,000 deaths yearly.
An HBOT chamber can treat Lyme disease and other bacterial and fungal illnesses by killing the organisms exposed to the high-oxygen environment. Also, HBOT has been proven effective in combating Aspergillosis and Zygomycosis in some in vitro and in vivo studies.
Surgical Site Infections
SSIs are infections that develop in the body area where the surgery was performed after completion. SSI is a primary cause of hospital morbidity, leading to more extended hospital stays, higher hospital costs, higher re-operation rates, and even higher fatality rates.
A study found that pre-surgery HBOT prevented the development of deep SSIs and facilitated wound healing in neuromuscular scoliosis surgery.
HBOT is recommended for reducing SSI incidence and other infection prevention methods, especially during clean-contaminated surgeries like colon surgery.
What Can You Expect From HBOT?
During the therapy, you’ll enter a special chamber to breathe pure oxygen above normal air pressure. It can be a single-person chamber where you lie down or sit on a bed.
The air pressure is gradually increased to a level that is two to three times greater than usual. That allows your lungs to take in more oxygen and your blood to absorb more oxygen than when breathing normally.
The goal is to provide adequate oxygen to the circulation for tissue repair and proper physiological function.
Even when the therapy is over, the transient high oxygen levels boost the tissue’s oxygen levels with repeated, regular treatments. A physician must prescribe HBOT, and your individual health needs will determine the number of treatments you receive after an assessment.
Are You Ready To Get Started?
Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy has an experienced clinical team that is accessible to answer any questions you may have about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and its facilities.
They feel that their customers are entitled to the best. They strive to improve patients’ healing potential by providing creative, individualized, and compassionate care.
To get started with HBOT, call their office today at (702) 476-4356 to learn how HBOT can help you combat infections.