[mackrn]

Originally Posted by MAnders1405

Hyperbaric therapy is a growing specialty field. There is some discussion on what medical credential would make the best Hyperbaric Therapy Technician. Some say that it is best for nursing and others say respiratory therapy. We have 5 chambers here in Cape Girardeau MO. 3 at one hospital and 2 at the other. One department has nurses and the other has RTs. I am sure it is like that all over the nation.

I have been involved in hyperbaric medicine for over 20 years and have started up units all over the country, published in articles and one of the contributing authors for the only textbook on Hyperbaric Nursing. The best staffing of a unit is a mixture of RN's and RT's, with an emphasis on RN's to be more cost effective. In addition to dealing with critical care dives where a nurse has to be present, dealing with IV's, wound care and patient assessment is more of a nursing domain and not in the scope of practice for RT's.
Hyperbaric medicine is highly effective if used properly and patients properly evaluated before treatment. Have treated patients from all aspects of the hospital continuum, with a heavy emphasis on non-healing wound and radiation injuries,

[MommyJoy]

Originally Posted by Kallie

Hi Again,

I would really like to have some of the nurses opinions on Hyperbaric Medicine.
Do you think that this is a field that a nurse should devote her/his time? Is Hyperbaric Medicine a worth while speciality? Is Hyperbaric Medicine really worth the expense that the Government is paying per patient treatment? (approx:$700.00) per treatment.
Please respond if you have helpful comments, (or if you have not so helpful comments.)

Thanks

I am a firm believer in HBO. Without going into too much detail, I will tell you that HBO has been a life saver for my aunt. She has had three tremendous wounds in which the only cure was HBO. Her first wound was on her leg. For over 2 years she was treated by the finest physicians that our city had to offer. They were never successful in getting her wound better, instead it got worse. My family heard about HBO offered in Kansas City. My aunt received HBO treatment for about 4 months and her wound healed. Her second episode came when she contacted staph infection while in the hospital. The staph was so bad that her physicians had scheduled amputation of her arm up to the elbow. In attempts to get rid of the staph. they had slit her arm from wrist to elbow and were using a wound vacuum to drain the infection. Once my family and I realized she was going to use her arm, we had her transferred back to Kansas City. She was in the hospital for over 2 months, but now her arm is free of the infection and the skin grafts are holding. This was all becaue of the HBO treatment. Her last encounter with HBO was not as serious, but again it was the only thing that would help.
HBO is a wonderful alternative for patients who are suffering with wounds.

[sizlis]

I have a question regarding hyperbaric chamber, has anyone heard of any success with dialysis patients that have aquired calciphalaxis and using the hyperbaric chamber to treat their sores and open wounds.

[Daytonite]

I just finished 75 treatments in March for possible osteoradionecrosis of the mandible following a tooth extraction. Was it worth it? It was to me! I gasped when I saw the bills come rolling in, but my insurance paid. Beside the healing effects to the bone I felt great and the muscle spasms I experience in my hip from a pinched nerve were greatly diminished from the oxygen therapy. The only drawback was that it affected my vision. After my personal experience with it I think it should be made standardized treatment for all wound healing!

When I first had my radiation therapy for a parotid tumor no one was able to talk to me about the side effects of the radiation. The docs at the hyperbaric center I went to knew all about it. I was floored. After 9 years I finally was able to talk with doctors who understood the problems I have endured in my jaw since radiation.

[mackrn]

[quote=Daytonite]I just finished 75 treatments in March for possible osteoradionecrosis of the mandible following a tooth extraction.

They should of done the Marx protocol for patients with head and neck radiation prior to your extraction (20 tx's before extraction and 10 tx's after extraction at 2.5 ATA for 90 minutes with 2 air breaks) to prevent the development of osteoradionecrosis.

"The only drawback was that it affected my vision."

The changes in visual acuity are temporary and will return to normal within 6-8 weeks after the end of treatment.

"After my personal experience with it I think it should be made standardized treatment for all wound healing!"

Possibly for all wounds with difficulty healing, but not all wounds as doesn't affect a wound that is healing normally.


"When I first had my radiation therapy for a parotid tumor no one was able to talk to me about the side effects of the radiation. The docs at the hyperbaric center I went to knew all about it"

Depends on where you go. One of my HBO doctors is also a radiation oncologist and our radiation center gets all the patients that have developed porblems associated with radiation so we get a good number of patients to be treated in the chamber with osteradionecrosis, radiation cystits, proctitis, myelitis, mastitis, etc.