Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) has been widely utilized in human medicine for years to treat everything from the “bends”, to anemia. Its use in veterinary medicine is relatively new, with only a handful of veterinary hospitals nationwide utilizing it. During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, your pet is placed safely and comfortably in a chamber with 100% oxygen and an atmospheric pressure up to three times that of normal to deliver more oxygen to the tissues throughout their body. This results in a reduction of pressure caused by head and spinal cord injuries, reduced swelling, improved wound healing, stimulation of new blood vessel formation and improved infection control.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an excellent option for pets because it speeds up the healing process and can potentially reduce or eliminate the need for more invasive procedures. Some of the conditions that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used for are:
Central Nervous System
Cranial/spinal cord trauma, cerebral ischemia, compressive cord disease, cortical blindness, fibro-cartilaginous emboli, tetraparesis, peripheral nerve damage, traumatic brain injury
Infectious Diseases
Lyme disease, intracranial abscess, abdominal abscess, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, septicemia, endotoxemia, blastomycosis, necrotizing infections
Cardiovascular
Cardiac infarctions, stroke, CO toxicity, cyanide poisoning, smoke inhalation, hypotension, acute anemia, reperfusion disease, lymphangitis
Gastrointestinal
Pancreatitis, gastric ulcers, peritonitis, ileus, reperfusion
Musculoskeletal
Fracture repair, tendonitis, crush injuries, soft tissue injuries, tendonitis, myositis, desmitis, laminitis, periostitis, fibromyalgia
Respiratory
Sinusitis, rhinitis, pulmonary edema, rhodococcus, pleuritis, iatrogenic gas embolism, exercise induce pulmonary hemorrhage
Wounds
Compromised grafts and flaps, select problem healing wounds, thermal burns, snake bite envenomation, spider bite envenomation