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A breath of fresh air: Pressurized oxygen chamber aids medical treatment
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Monday, March 10, 2008 9:58 AM EDT
Argus-Press Photo Anthony Cepak Cam Canute of Durand rests inside a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber at Genesys’ Wound and Hyperbaric Center in Grand Blanc while Sarah Whitehead, head HBO technician, monitors his vital signals.
GRAND BLANC - Cam Canute of Durand makes a trip to the Genesys Wound and Hyperbaric Center five mornings a week. Once there, his routine is similar every day.
At Genesys, Canute, 50, receives pressurized oxygen treatment to aid the healing of a troublesome wound on his foot, which did not respond to conventional care.
He climbs onto a cot that slides into a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber. Once inside, the door is sealed and Canute begins treatment. He is inside the chamber for nearly two hours, where he rests in a pressurized, pure-oxygen atmosphere.
The atmosphere promotes healing and enhances the immune system.
The time in the chamber is known as a “dive,” because it simulates air pressure experienced by underwater divers.
“Every dive is supervised by (a registered nurse),” said Sarah Whitehead, head hyperbaric technician at the Genesys center.
Vitals are checked before each dive, monitored throughout the time inside the chamber, and checked again once each patient exits a chamber.
“They can tap on the acrylic or say ‘Help, I'm not feeling well,' ” said Whitehead.
A telephone hangs on the side of each chamber, facilitating conversation by anyone standing nearby. A “white noise” sound exists within the chamber during pressurization.
While in the chamber, patients can listen to CDs, or watch videos and television.
Within nine minutes, the chamber is pressurized to the equivalent of 33 feet under water.
Some people have likened the experience to that of diving or descending in an airplane as the body adjusts to the change in air pressure.
Four chambers at the center can treat patients at any time. Patients visit five days a week for a total of up to 70 treatments. The center has treated as many 50 patients in one day.
For Canute, the center is making a big difference in his life. He was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes as a young child and has been insulin dependent for more than 40 years, he said.
Canute lost part of one leg to a diabetic foot ulcer several years ago. The ulcer was treated for months until his leg above the knee had to be removed. The infection in his foot had moved into the bone and from there into the bloodstream.
“When that happens, it's an emergency,” said Sharon Duso, the center's program director. “(Canute) was very sick when he came into the hospital.”
According to Canute, he was back to work in 14 weeks with a new prosthetic device for his leg.
“He didn't go through the grieving process that most people do with losing a leg,” said Laura Burtrum, nurse clinician at the center. “He had the attitude ‘This is the card I've been dealt, and I'll deal with it.' ''
Canute began treatments in a hyperbaric chamber early this year for an ulcer on his other foot.
“He is doing wonderful,” said Duso. “The wound is half the size and the bone is covered.
“When somebody is on the verge of losing a leg, we want to exhaust every therapy out there,” she added.
According to Duso, nine people are currently on the waiting list for Hyperbaric treatment.
Patients are in the chamber for nearly two hours, said Whitehead. It takes nine minutes to “descend,” 90 minutes at full pressure, and nine minutes to “ascend.”
“This is a huge commitment,” said Whitehead. “It's like having a part-time job.”
In the near year since the center has opened, each staff member has taken his or her own turn in the chamber, said Whitehead.
“How else can we tell them it is safe, if we haven't been in the chamber ourselves?” she said.
The center has treated patients ranging in age from younger than 30 years old to upward of 90. There is a lift available for patients who are unable to climb onto the cot that slides into the chamber.
The Genesys Wound and Hyperbaric Center is authorized to treat wounds, such as lower extremity diabetic non-healing ulcers, of the type Canute is experiencing. Tissue damage from radiation treatment is another condition that the center is authorized to treat, as well as cyanide poisoning, acute carbon monoxide poisoning and wounds from flesh-eating bacteria.
“We treat a vast array of wounds.” said Duso, “from surgical wounds which don't heal to dog bites ... anything that could be wrong with the skin.”
Other conditions that can be treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy include autism, multiple sclerosis and strokes. The chambers are also used on a private basis for cosmetic purposes such as skin rejuvenation. These treatments are not offered at Genesys center, which is authorized strictly for medical treatment.
For more information on the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers, see www.hboinfo.com.
For more information about the Genesys Wound and Hyperbaric Center, visit www.genesys.org and click on “Our Services” and the “Tissue Trauma Center.”
