Hyperbaric Medicine

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Bravera Health Seven Rivers and Spring Hill’s hyperbaric medicine treatment options surround patients with difficult wounds with 100% oxygen in a comfortable, pressurized chamber. This saturation promotes the body’s natural immune system and healing responses, allowing wounds to heal more easily, from the inside out.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatments are beneficial for patients who have certain types of complicated or slow-healing wounds, such as bone infections or diabetic foot ulcers. The treatments work in conjunction with other treatments, such as antibiotics, to accelerate the healing process.

Our wound care specialists may use hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat conditions such as:

• Air or gas embolisms
• Bone infections
• Burns
• Crush injuries and other traumatic injuries that compromise blood supply to tissues
• Gangrene
• Poisoning from carbon monoxide or cyanide
• Pressure sores
• Radiation treatment injuries or thermal burns
• Refractory osteomyelitis
• Skin grafts
• Wounds that have not healed with other therapies, such as diabetic foot ulcers

Your doctor can determine whether this therapy is right for you.

When you arrive

After an initial consultation and examination, you will be ready to begin your wound healing therapy. When you arrive, you will receive complete instructions regarding your treatment. Before starting, you will change into a 100% cotton garment provided by the Center. For safety reasons, no other clothing may be worn inside the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber.

What to expect during wound healing treatment

Once you are comfortably positioned inside the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the pressure will gradually be increased and the temperature will temporarily rise. You may experience fullness in your ears as a result of the increased pressure. The technician will instruct you in ways to help clear the pressure and relieve any discomfort. Most treatment sessions in the HBO chamber last approximately two hours. While undergoing treatment, you may watch TV or videos, simply relax or even sleep.

Getting ready for your visit

For safety reasons there are certain items not allowed inside the HBO chamber. Please do not wear or bring the following into the HBO chamber during your treatment:

• Makeup
• Perfume
• Aftershave
• Hairspray or hair oils
• Wigs or hairpieces
• Nail polish
• Alcohol or petroleum based products
• Cell phone or pagers
• Metallic items (such as jewelry, titanium frame eyeglasses, keys, watches and coins)
• Flammable materials or heat producing items (such as heating pads, lighters, cigarettes)
• Hearing aids
• Food, gum or candy

Ask your hyperbaric medicine physician for advice on wearing contact lenses during treatment. You should also refrain from smoking or the use of any tobacco products over the entire course of HBO therapy. Tobacco use will prolong or even prevent wound healing due to its constricting effect on the blood vessels in your body.

If you are sick or on medication

You should inform the staff at the center if you have a cold or cough, the flu, sore throat, chills, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Alert the staff to any medications you are taking or changes in medication during the course of your treatment. If you have diabetes, please eat properly and continue to take your prescribed medication to control the blood sugar level. Your blood sugar level will also be checked before, during and after each visit to the wound center.

Possibility of side effects

You may experience temporary vision changes that should return to normal in a few weeks after your HBO therapy is complete. Our hyperbaric medicine physicians recommend that you not change the prescription of your eyewear during the course of your HBO therapy. Some patients experience fatigue during treatment. This is completely normal.