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Item
#6
Topical
Oxygen Heals Wounds
Topical
oxygen successfully heals difficult-to-treat wounds, according to a
case series published in the January issue of Pathophysiology.
The
Food and Drug Administration–approved treatment helps chronic wounds
heal faster and more completely.
"The
quality of closure is very impressive," senior author Chandan K.
Sen, from Ohio State University in Columbus, says in a news release.
"There was much less scarring than we had anticipated."
The
30 patients in this study included people with wounds refractory to
standard treatments, chronic diabetics, cancer patients, and
postsurgical patients at high risk of healing problems. They had a
total of 56 wounds including postsurgical wounds, traumatic injuries,
diabetic hand ulcers, and bedsores.
Treatment
consisted of covering the wounds with an inflatable, see-through
plastic bag containing pure oxygen for 90 minutes daily for four days,
followed by a three-day rest period. This cycle was repeated for as
long as the wound appeared to be healing, for periods ranging from 24
days to about eight months.
More
than two-thirds of the wounds (38 of 56) healed with the oxygen
treatment alone.
"In
most cases, the amount of residual scar tissue in the healed wounds
after oxygen therapy appeared to be substantially less than we would
expect after treatment with more standard forms of wound care,"
says co-author Gayle Gordillo, also from Ohio State. "There was
less defective tissue in the area once the wound healed."
Healing
rates were 100% for postsurgical injuries on the trunk, arms, and
hands; 92% for venous stasis ulcers; 91% for diabetic hand ulcers; 75%
for acute traumatic injuries on the trunk, arms, and hands; 50% for
acute wounds on the legs and feet; and 44% for bedsores.
"The
differences in healing rates reinforce a link between other health
conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, and wound healing
outcomes," Sen says. "While topical oxygen helps wounds
heal, it alone may not be adequate for managing lower extremity wounds
and bedsores. For these types of injuries, topical oxygen may be
helpful as an adjunct to surgery or other forms of standard wound
care."
There
have been no reported adverse events from topical oxygen treatment.
According to Dr. Gordillo, the treatment is cost-effective in that it
can reduce the length of time needed for home health care, and Sen
added that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is considerably more expensive.
"Topical
oxygen is a simple form of therapy which, if necessary, many people
could use at once, such as in the case of a public disaster," Sen
says. "These bags are also suitable for use in the field, so the
treatment may be an option for deployed military troops. Further
research testing the potential of topical oxygen therapy is
warranted." Pathophysiology.
2003;9:81-87
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DID
YOU KNOW:
40
% of people taking ACE inhibitors have the problem of “aldosterone
escape” which is where the effectiveness of the medications wears
out and no longer is effective. This is why we now almost always will
add the ARB group of medications to promote the effectiveness of the
treatment. Hypertension
2003; 41: 64-8.
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