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Adequate tissue perfusion and
sufficient oxygen supply are two basic
requirements for the body’s healing
responses. Without these elements,
tissues will soon enter a hypoxic state.
Hypoxia impairs many healing processes
including bacterial eradication, collagen
synthesis, angiogenesis, and epithelialization.
Hypoxia has also been shown to slow
wound healing while favoring bacterial
growth.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
accelerates the normal healing mechanisms
by increasing the concentration of oxygen
dissolved in plasma, thereby facilitating
delivery to tissues with poor or compromised
vascular supply (increased diffusion
distance). Tissue oxygenation is
improved as the resultant vasoconstriction
decreases edema (decreased intercapillary
distance) and stimulates the prolifertion
of fibroblasts and endothelial cells
(positive effects which last at least three
days post-treatment). Tissue oxygen
tension has been shown to be the most
important local factor affecting oxidative
leucocyte destruction.
HBOT potentiates the activity of
many antibiotics and increases their
tissue penetration. HBOT decreases
the growth and viability or many
microorganisms while enhancing
antibiotic effectiveness and the patient’s
own immune response (tissue oxygen
delivery is increased to levels which
actually inhibit bacterial growth).
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