100% Oxygen Environment Helps Heal Stubborn Wounds
SEATTLE, July 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwest Hospital & Medical Center today announced the installation of two new, state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen chambers and the launch of hyperbaric oxygen therapy services offered through the Northwest Hospital Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center.
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Hyperbaric oxygen chambers create a 100% oxygen environment, which has been proven to help accelerate the healing of many types of wounds and soft tissue injuries. The new therapy represents a significant enhancement in the center's ability to treat patients with stubborn, non-healing wounds.
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"Breathing 100% oxygen helps the body form new blood vessels, to serve areas that have been injured or may be affected by circulation disorders such as peripheral arterial insufficiency or diabetes," said Dr. Terence Quigley, chief of surgery at Northwest Hospital, and medical director of the Northwest Hospital Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center. "This hyper-oxygenation allows the body's natural, oxygen-dependent healing process to work more efficiently and can speed up the healing of wounds that have so far resisted conventional healing therapies."
The hyperbaric chambers at the Northwest Hospital Wound Care Center are clear, see-through, single-person chambers, about the size of a hospital bed. The specialized hyperbaric therapy team includes physicians, wound care nurses and technicians who have had hyperbaric training.
Hyperbaric oxygen treatments usually last from one-and-a-half to two hours, and are administered once or twice a day, five days a week. The number of treatments depends on the body's response. Patients can relax during treatment by watching TV or videos on a screen specially fitted to the chamber. Treatments require a referral from the patient's physician and are covered by private insurance or Medicare for most conditions.
In addition to hyperbaric therapy, the Northwest Hospital Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center offers a wide range of treatments for wounds including diabetic and other skin ulcers, injuries that don't receive enough blood flow, burns, traumatic wounds and other chronic injuries that refuse to heal.
For more information about the Northwest Hospital Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center, call (206) 368-1244, or visit our web site at www.nwhospital.org/woundcare.
About Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
Founded in 1960, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center is a full-service, non-profit hospital located minutes north of downtown Seattle. With 281 licensed beds, more than 1,600 employees and all private rooms, it offers some of the most innovative, technologically advanced medical care available. Major clinical programs and services include: emergency services; critical care; cardiac care; neurosciences; stroke center; cancer care; childbirth services; bariatric surgery; sports medicine; medical rehabilitation; geropsychiatric center; Gamma Knife(R) Center; diagnostic imaging; laboratory services; and education and wellness programs, among others. For more information about Northwest Hospital and its programs and services, call (206) 364-0500 or (206) 633-4636 for the Physician Referral Line, or visit www.nwhospital.org.
SOURCE Northwest Hospital and Medical Center
