Hyperbaric Center

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (high blood sugar ) and other signs, as distinct from a single disease or condition.

The World Health Organization recognizes three main forms of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease (doubled risk ), chronic renal failure, retinal damage , nerve damage (of several kinds), and microvascular damage, which may cause erectile dysfunction (impotence) and poor healing. Poor healing of wounds, particularly of the feet, can lead to gangrene which can require amputation - the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation in adults in the developed world.

Tissue Hypoxia to an affected wound reduces the diabetic's ability to feel pain, heat or cold, which could result in an unnoticed foot injury and possibly a chronic, un-healing wound which would lead to amputation.

Oxygen's fundamental role in healing provides a reversal of Diabetic neuropathy, providing necessary oxygen to tissue at a wound site.

Clinical Study

During a retrospective analysis of 469 consecutive patients with diabetes treated at a referral wound care center over a 33 month period, eighty-seven patients received an average of 19±13 HBO treatments while 382 received "standard care" only, including revascularization, debridement, glycemic control, antibiotics, offloading, dietary modification, smoking cessation, and autologous platelet derived growth factors. Patients referred for HBO (X ± SE) had larger wounds (2533 ± 987 vs. 1199 ± 61 mm3), more wounds per patient (3.8 vs. 2.4), and a greater percentage recommended for amputation (31% vs. 19% p=0.002). Despite having the more serious wounds, the limb salvage rate was greater in the HBO patients (72% vs. 53% p<0.002). (JEFF A. STONE, RONALD G. SCOTT, LEON R. BRILL, BENJAMIN D. LEVINE)