What are some of the nurses views on Hyperbaric Medicine?

[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

[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, BSN, RN]

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]

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.