Great Debates and Updates: HBO vs. Topical Oxygen

Thursday, April 27, 2023

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

Moderator(s)

Caroline E. Fife, MD

Professor of Geriatrics
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
The Woodlands, TX

Speaker(s)

Sandra Wainwright, MD

Medical Director wound care Hyperbaric center Greenwich Hospital ,
Yale New Haven Health
Ridgefield , CT
Harriet W. Hopf, MD, FUHM, FASA

Professor and Executive Director of FAculty Development & Academic Affairs, Anesthesiology; Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Co-Director, Utah Coaching and Advancement Network
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

Disclosure(s):

Caroline E. Fife, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Sandra Wainwright, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Harriet W. Hopf, MD, FUHM, FASA: No financial relationships to disclose

Systemic HBO therapy has been around for more than 150 years in the United States, but its history spans much longer. In fact, the first record of a pressurized chamber used to treat medical conditions dates to 1662 in England. There are now more than 3,000 centers in the United States, and the list of indications approved by insurance plans continues to expand. Topical oxygen has gained traction as a technique to facilitate wound healing dynamics, and there is evidence to support its benefits, but the approach should not be confused with HBO therapy. While the systemic hyperbaric oxygen therapy consists of breathing oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure, topical oxygen involves the placement of a local device that is pressurized with oxygen over an extremity. In the future, topical oxygen may be combined with HBO therapy to facilitate healing.