Do you consider hyperbarics for other wounds, such as venous leg ulcers?
Well, not really. The underlying problem for venous leg ulcers is usually not inadequate levels of oxygen. The pathology responsible for venous leg ulcers is venous congestion and elevated pressures in the venous system. The key treatment for venous leg ulcers is adequate debridement, infection and excessive drainage control, compression therapy and manual lymph drainage. You received an American Diabetes Association grant to study hyperbarics in wound therapy. Do you believe hyperbarics may emerge as the standard of care for advanced wounds? I think that for certain hypoxic wounds, hyperbaric therapy is very appropriate. I think there is a wealth of data to support the use of HBOT for wound healing. In April of 1999 the ADA developed a consensus statement on the diabetic foot stating that HBOT was beneficial as an adjunctive therapy in certain diabetic ischemic wounds. Hyperbarics have been around for 40 years. Are there other unexplored modalities? I think so. Growth factor therapy a
