The Healing Power of Oxygen

Enloe Health Has the Only Multi-Chamber Facility in Butte County

Rodney Cunningham (left) reunites with Tim Flores of Enloe Health Wound/Ostomy & Hyperbaric Center. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helped save Cunningham’s foot from amputation.

Normally, when you get a cut or scrape, your body’s healing process starts working to close the wound. But some wounds don’t heal naturally and require special treatment to avoid complications.

This was the case for Rodney Cunningham, 64, who had an ulcer on the bottom of his foot. Because he has diabetes-related neuropathy — a condition that causes numbness in the hands or feet — he couldn’t feel any pain and was unaware the wound existed or that it was severely infected.

“My wife saw it one day and said we needed to go to the emergency department,” the construction worker said. “I ended up spending five days in the hospital and was told I might need an amputation from the knee down.”

Cunningham sought care from Scott Zittel, D.O., the Medical Director and a certified wound specialist at Enloe Health Wound/Ostomy & Hyperbaric Center. Dr. Zittel recommended that Cunningham try hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

The normal air we breathe is 21% oxygen. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing 100% oxygen in a pressurized environment. This promotes wound healing by increasing oxygen levels, decreasing inflammation, promoting collagen formation and stimulating growth of new blood vessels, said Tim Flores, Lead Certified Hyperbaric Technologist at the center.

The therapy was first used in the U.S. in the early 20th century and again in the 1960s when the military used it to treat deep sea divers for compression sickness or “the bends,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Researchers have since realized the healing potential of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for many conditions, including such hard-to-heal wounds as diabetes-related foot ulcers, radiation tissue injuries, burns, crush injuries, and skin grafts and flaps. It is also used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness.

During the therapy, patients enter the hyperbaric chamber, and it’s filled with pressurized oxygen that patients breathe for about 90 minutes. Patients can watch a movie, listen to music, read or rest, and then resume normal activities, Flores said.

Enloe Health offers the only walk-in multiplace hyperbaric oxygen chamber in Butte County. It fits up to four patients in addition to one attendant.

The larger chamber can reduce feelings of claustrophobia and isolation often associated with a monoplace, or single-person, chamber.

“This type of therapy is a powerful tool in wound management,” Flores said. “It requires a significant time commitment, but it changes lives and can save limbs.”

Cunningham recently completed his recommended 40 therapy sessions. He went five days a week for eight weeks. “I wouldn’t have been able to keep my leg if I hadn’t done this treatment,” he said. “Dr. Zittel and his staff were great, and it definitely sped up my healing time. The wound is closed, and I’m back to my normal life.”

Receiving Treatment

If you have a wound that isn’t healing, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may help you. The first step is to get a physician referral for evaluation and treatment.

“Enloe Health’s care team includes four physicians, one nurse practitioner and nursing staff certified in wound care, as well as a certified hyperbaric technologist,” Flores said. “We will evaluate your needs and determine a treatment plan.”

Medicare and most insurance plans will cover hyperbaric oxygen therapy, depending on the medical condition. Out-of-pocket cost will depend on your specific insurance plan.

Learn more about Enloe Health Wound/Ostomy & Hyperbaric Center.