Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be prescribed to help patients dealing with wound healing. During treatment, patients spend about 90 minutes every weekday for four to six weeks in a special chamber, breathing in 100 percent oxygen, nearly five times the level found in air, at two times normal atmospheric pressure. The therapy can help speed healing by:
- Helping antibiotics and antimicrobes fight off germs
- Stimulating white blood cells to battle infections
- Promoting new blood vessel growth
- Encouraging fibroblasts to heal wounds
- The walls of the chamber are acrylic so patients can see out, and they can converse with the staff. Typically patients can pass the time watching TV.