New Hyperbaric Chambers Added to Renovated Burn & Wound Clinic at Lutheran Hospital
7/11/2022
Two new hyperbaric chambers to help heal a variety of patients with tissue damage were recently added to the renovated outpatient burn and wound clinic at Lutheran Hospital.
Lutheran Hospital’s outpatient burn and wound clinicians use hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the new chambers to enhance the body’s ability to heal chronic wounds by increasing the amount of oxygen delivered to wounds.
“With the installation of these chambers at Lutheran Hospital we will be able to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy for treatment of some of our most challenging cases,” said Dr. Philip A. Rettenmaier, medical director of the interdisciplinary wound team and hyperbaric medicine at Lutheran Hospital. “The chambers will allow us to provide outpatient treatment for chronic wounds as well as acute issues like crush injuries, tissue-destroying infections and carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Patients receiving hyperbaric treatments in the new chambers can watch television while relaxing on a private bed encased in a large plastic shell as they are surrounded by 100 percent oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure. During the non-invasive procedure, the only sensation patients experience is a slight pressure in the ears, like flyers can experience on an airplane.
Under hyperbaric conditions, oxygen concentrations are increased in the patient’s blood and transported throughout the body to enhance wound healing. Hyperbaric oxygen treatments can be used for healing burn wounds, skin grafts, crush injuries, pressure sores, gangrene, radiation side-effects, wounds not responding to traditional treatments and to save limbs from amputation.
Lutheran Hospital’s outpatient burn and wound clinic treats patients of all ages for a variety of burns and wounds. In addition to having wounds dressed and treated, patients also receive ongoing support through education, nutrition, counseling and follow-up care. The clinic’s proximity to Lutheran Hospital’s regional burn center enables experienced physicians from different specialties to collaborate and offer a variety of services, enhancing accessibility for patients and families and improving overall patient outcomes. Visit LutheranHospital.com/burn-center for more information.
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