It may sound far-fetched, but that's exactly what a group of doctors are looking to do. Working with the principle that oxygen at increased pressure inside a chamber heals wounds faster, a wound-centric unit called 'Hycare for Wounds' offers Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (HBOT). “The patient is made to breathe 100 pc oxygen, instead of 20 pc that he breathes in a normal circumstance, at an increased pressure inside a chamber. The wound gets more oxygen supply and heals faster,” said Dr Rajesh Kesavan, a Podriatic surgeon, addressing a press meet on Saturday.
Wounds are common, but the healing process varies from person to person, depending on the person's health. There are some acute cases like diabetic wounds that need extra attention and care to heal because the patient’s body has decreased ability to heal. Dr V B Narayanamurthy, plastic surgeon, explained how this was a real boon for diabetics, “For a person suffering from diabetes, wounds in their feet are more common and it takes a long time to heal. This is where HBOT helps in healing long standing wounds faster,” he said.
There are various conditions that can be treated with the use of HBOT. The dosage, duration and the type of HBOT treatment depends on the patient’s condition that will be thoroughly evaluated before taking him/her into HBOT chamber.
The procedure can treat wounds like crushed hand or burn injuries at an average cost of `2000 to 3000 per session. Hycare also has four more specialty clinics in the pipeline: The Nerve Regeneration Clinic, Chronic Ulcer Clinic, Foot and Ankle Reconstruction Surgery Clinic and Charcot Foot Clinic.