About Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that increases the amount of oxygen in your blood, allowing oxygen to pass more quickly through the plasma into wounds to heal them. HBO chambers surround patients with 100% oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure.
During HBO, the only sensation you will experience occurs during the pressurization phase. It takes about 20 minutes to reach pressure, and the slowly-increasing pressure will push on your eardrums. It is the same feeling you would experience when landing in an airplane or diving to the bottom of a swimming pool. Your hyperbaric nurse will instruct you through different methods of relieving this ear pressure.
HBO treatment is very safe. Rochester Regional Health's Wound Healing Center has strict procedures that assure your safety and make your treatment comfortable. Before your first treatment, you'll be given a thorough orientation, where we'll take the time to answer all your questions and concerns.
Benefits of HBO Therapy
Usually, there is no benefit to increasing the level of oxygen in the body for normal, healthy individuals. People with certain medical conditions do, however, benefit from increased levels of oxygen. Those benefits include:
- Advanced wound healing
- Increased levels of oxygen delivered to injured tissue
- Improved infection control
- Preservation of damaged tissues
Learn more about Rochester Regional Health's Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy from Sharon Gavenda, RN.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Wound Center at Ridgeway's HBO Chambers
Each Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber is equipped with a television so that you can watch TV or a movie during your treatment. While you may not bring anything in the chamber with you, including books and newspapers, many patients use the time to catch up on some well-deserved rest.
Call (585) 368-6820 to start your wound care journey today.