title: Hyperbaric oxygen and wound healing.
abstract: Problem wounds, which fail to respond to traditional medical and surgical therapy, can be challenging to the plastic surgeon. Surgical, outpatient, and inpatient wound care costs can be exorbitant. Indirect costs, such as those related to patient productivity, disability, and premature death, can also be significant. The underlying problem in failure of a wound to heal is usually hypoxia and infection. HBO treatments in selected patients can facilitate healing by increasing tissue oxygen tension, thus providing the wound with a more favorable environment for repair. Therefore, HBO therapy can be an important component to any comprehensive wound care program.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Nevada School of Medicine, 2040 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 301, Las Vegas, NV 89102, USA. wzamgboni@med.unr.edu
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Zamboni
authors.forename: Leslie K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Browder
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martinez
mesh_terms: D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000295:instrumentation; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology