Authored by: Dr. Juan Chavez, MD and Dr. Lucia Mireles-Chavez, MD
Wound healing hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a proven medical treatment that accelerates recovery for chronic, stubborn wounds, especially those resistant to standard wound care. By exposing patients to pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber, this therapy supplies blood-starved tissues with the oxygen they desperately need to repair, regrow blood vessels, and fight infection. Most patients see faster wound closure, reduced risk of complications, and enhanced healing for diabetic ulcers and radiation injuries.
As a therapy recognized by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society and included in numerous insurance plans, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is carefully monitored by specially trained medical staff to ensure safety and optimal outcomes. Over the past decade, hundreds of clinical studies have confirmed its effectiveness, especially for diabetic foot ulcers and radiation-injured tissues.
Before diving into hyperbaric oxygen therapy, it's crucial to understand the fundamentals of wound healing. The body's ability to seal and restore damaged skin is a complex, dynamic process.
Wound healing moves through four key phases: hemostasis (stopping the bleeding), inflammation (fighting infection and clearing dead cells), proliferation (new tissue and blood vessel formation), and remodeling (strengthening and refining the scar). Each stage demands energy and resources, but one element is especially vital: oxygen.
Oxygen, delivered through red blood cells and dissolved in plasma, fuels the cellular activities that drive healing. It supports collagen synthesis, triggers new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis), and powers immune cells as they fight off infection.
When wounds become hypoxic (low in oxygen), due to poor circulation, infection, or patient health problems, the entire healing process is at risk. Chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, and radiation-injured tissues often stall in the inflammatory stage because there isn't enough oxygen for full recovery.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a specialized medical treatment that surrounds patients with pure oxygen at higher-than-normal air pressure inside a hyperbaric chamber. Instead of breathing typical room air, patients inhale 100% oxygen, often at 2.0–3.0 times atmospheric pressure.
During hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions, patients relax on a comfortable bed inside a monoplace or multiplace pressurized chamber. As the chamber fills with pure oxygen and the pressure increases, more oxygen dissolves into the blood plasma. It reaching even the most deprived tissues. Each session generally lasts 60–120 minutes. It is prescribed as part of a broader treatment plan by a healthcare provider experienced in wound care and hyperbaric medicine.
While wound healing requires the concerted action of numerous cells and signals, HBOT delivers a game-changing advantage: extra oxygen under pressure.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy dramatically increases the amount of oxygen dissolved in plasma, far beyond what breathing normal air can provide. This extra oxygen penetrates deep tissue, even where blood vessels are damaged or blocked by inflammation. As a result, fibroblasts (cells that make collagen) work more efficiently, and collagen production speeds up. This is absolutely critical for closing chronic wounds and skin grafts.
Oxygen at increased pressure stimulates angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels at the edges of wounds. This rejuvenated blood supply means more nutrients and immune cells can reach damaged sites, accelerating healing and reducing the risk of persistent infection.
For patients with diabetic foot ulcers, radiation injuries, or severe soft tissue infections, this means the difference between complete healing and ongoing complications.
Another remarkable ability of HBOT is to boost the immune system. Improving the function of white blood cells enhances their ability to kill harmful bacteria. By reducing swelling (edema) and inflammation around wounds, pressurized oxygen also helps antibiotics work more effectively and may neutralize certain bacterial toxins.
Beyond boosting oxygen and immune response, hyperbaric therapy can:
For many, HBOT is the missing ingredient in a comprehensive approach to healing stubborn wounds.
Different types of non healing wounds and complex injuries benefit from hyperbaric treatment. Not every wound needs or qualifies for HBOT, but the therapy is a mainstay for several hard-to-treat conditions.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is especially effective for diabetic ulcers, which are prone to infection, slow healing, and even the risk of amputation. By delivering more oxygen, HBOT helps wounds heal properly, often leading to faster closure and less need for invasive procedures.
Patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer can develop delayed radiation injuries, such as radiation proctitis, cystitis, or tissue necrosis. These injuries can appear months or years after treatment, presenting as non-healing wounds or compromised tissue. HBOT has become a go-to option, promoting tissue recovery and restoring blood vessel health in these difficult settings.
Surgeons and wound care teams frequently use hyperbaric medicine to support the survival of skin grafts or flaps following reconstructive procedures. Crush injuries, burns, soft tissue infections (such as gas gangrene), and bone infections (refractory osteomyelitis) are other major indications. Even complex conditions like decompression sickness and gas embolism can be treated with HBOT.
The evidence for wound healing hyperbaric oxygen therapy continues to grow, as clinical studies and patient experience demonstrate significant, measurable benefits.
Randomized controlled trials show HBOT helps many chronic wounds heal more quickly, especially diabetic foot ulcers and radiation-related injuries. This reduces patients' infection risk, lowers hospital time, and, in some cases, cuts the likelihood of amputation or additional surgeries.
For those with failing skin grafts and flaps, HBOT offers a significant advantage by providing the oxygen needed for new blood vessel growth and collagen synthesis. This increases the odds of complete healing and functional recovery.
Patients report better comfort, less pain, and improved day-to-day activity as their wounds finally move towards closure. Because hyperbaric therapy is used alongside advanced wound care, such as debridement, dressings, and targeted antibiotics, it is rarely a stand-alone solution. Instead, it integrates as one component in a holistic, multidisciplinary treatment plan.
Most insurance plans, including Medicare, now cover HBOT for many approved wound indications, underlining its established place in modern medical treatments.
Wound healing hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This increases oxygen delivery to blood-starved tissues, accelerating healing for stubborn wounds and supporting the body's repair processes.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is particularly effective for diabetic foot ulcers, radiation injuries, chronic non-healing wounds, failing skin grafts, flaps, burns, and severe soft tissue infections. It is most often used when standard wound care has not worked.
The primary benefits include faster wound closure, reduced infection risk, improved survival of skin grafts, and enhanced overall tissue healing. Many patients also experience less pain and improved quality of life as their wounds heal.
Though generally safe, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can cause mild side effects like ear discomfort, temporary vision changes, or sinus issues. Rarely, more serious complications like oxygen toxicity or lung collapse may occur in certain patients.
Most patients require multiple sessions, usually between 20 and 40, depending on the wound type, underlying conditions, and response to treatment. Each session typically lasts 60 to 120 minutes and is prescribed as part of a comprehensive care plan.
Yes, most insurance plans, including Medicare, cover hyperbaric oxygen therapy for many approved wound indications, such as diabetic ulcers and radiation injuries, when prescribed by a qualified wound care specialist.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy represents a powerful, science-backed option for individuals with stubborn wounds that refuse to heal through standard medical treatments alone. By delivering high-pressure pure oxygen directly to compromised tissues, it enhances the wound healing process.
While not for every wound or patient, HBOT's role in treating diabetic wounds, chronic ulcers, radiation injuries, and surgical grafts is clear. As part of a comprehensive approach, it offers hope and real results to those whose healing has stalled. For anyone considering this advanced therapy, discussing options with a knowledgeable healthcare provider ensures the safest and most effective treatment plan.
Supercharge Your Healing. Enhance Immunity. Speed Recovery.
Imagine breathing 100% pure oxygen while relaxing in a pressurized chamber that delivers up to triple the oxygen your body normally gets. That's the power of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). A proven medical treatment that floods your cells with the oxygen they crave for rapid healing and recovery.
This isn't just oxygen therapy. Our medical-grade pressurized chamber increases atmospheric pressure by 1.5 to 3 times normal levels, allowing your lungs to absorb dramatically more oxygen than ever before. This oxygen-rich plasma then travels throughout your body, accelerating healing, fighting infection, and regenerating damaged tissue.
Why settle for slow healing when you can supercharge it? HBOT is FDA-approved for multiple conditions and backed by studies in the Journal of Wound Care showing how oxygen kickstarts your body's natural healing phases. Professional athletes use it for recovery. Medical centers worldwide depend on it for serious conditions.
At Las Vegas Medical Institute, we combine advanced hyperbaric technology with deep medical expertise for healing that speaks for itself.
Schedule Your Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Consultation here, or call us today at (702) 577-3174 to discover how HBOT is revolutionizing recovery across Las Vegas!
Cover Image Credit: Ipheung / 123RF.com (Licensed). Photo Illustration by: By Las Vegas Medical Institute.
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