GADSDEN, AL (March 25, 2014) – The physicians and clinicians at Riverview Regional Medical Center’s Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center use leading-edge therapies to reintroduce the body’s innate ability to heal chronic wounds. One state-of-the-art therapy being used to save limbs from amputation updates the folk wisdom that fresh air cures anything.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBO, increases the amount of oxygen to wounds allowing them to heal from the inside.
Patients receiving treatments watch television while relaxing on a bed encased in a large see-through plastic shell as they are surrounded by 100 percent oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure.
Under hyperbaric conditions, oxygen molecules in the patient’s red blood cells become reduced in size to more easily dissolve into the liquid portion of the blood and be transported throughout the body to speed healing.
During the non-invasive procedure, the only sensation patients experience is a slight pressure in the ears, as on an airplane, when the pressure changes.
HBO treatments are used for wounds that have not responded to traditional treatments. Treatments are typically covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurance plans. The Center also welcomes self-referrals.
The Riverview Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center is a member of the Healogics™ network and Healogics Chief Clinical Officer Katy Rowland explains, “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has proven, well-documented results healing numerous conditions including diabetic foot ulcers, radiation injuries to tissue and bone and some types of vascular disorders resulting in poor blood circulation.” Healogics is the nation’s leader in wound care services, serving more than 200,000 patients annually.
Chronic wounds affect more than 8 million people in the U.S. and the incidence is rising fueled by an aging population and increasing rates of diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and the late effects of radiation therapy.
The Riverview Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center is located at 2013 Rainbow Drive in Gadsden and also offers negative pressure therapies, bioengineered tissues, and biosynthetic to treat chronic wounds. For more information contact Vicky Lamb, Program Director, or Gina Hollingsworth, Clinical Coordinator at (256) 546-6038.