Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Heals Failing Grafts and Flaps
Medicare and many private insurance companies cover hyperbaric oxygen treatment to heal failing or compromised grafts and flaps. At Bay Area Hyperbarics, we have been a leader in HBOT treatment in San Jose, CA, for over 25 years. We offer certified medical solutions to help heal failing skin grafts and skin flaps.
Time is of the essence to salvage tissue, so schedule an appointment at our San Jose clinic today.
Time is of the essence to salvage tissue, so schedule an appointment at our San Jose clinic today.
Are you a Physician? View Provider version of this page
Medicare and many private insurance companies cover hyperbaric oxygen treatment to heal failing or compromised grafts and flaps. At Bay Area Hyperbarics, we have been a leader in HBOT treatment in San Jose, CA, for over 25 years. We offer certified medical solutions to help heal failing skin grafts and skin flaps.
Time is of the essence to salvage tissue, so schedule an appointment at our San Jose clinic today.
Time is of the essence to salvage tissue, so schedule an appointment at our San Jose clinic today.
Are you a Physician? View Provider version of this page
How Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Helps
Increases oxygen by 1,200% to oxygen-starved tissues
Significantly reduces pain and swelling
Grows new stem cells and transports them to heal injured tissue
Stimulates the growth of new blood vessels
Speeds surgical repair
Stimulates collagen synthesis, which helps heal wounds
Increases the survival of damaged tissue
Medicare and private insurance approve the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to heal compromised and failing skin grafts or skin flaps
If you or a loved one has recently undergone surgery where a graft or flap was used to cover damaged tissue, you may be facing challenges with the healing process. If so, you may be wondering what options are available to help promote healing and recovery. One such option that is approved by the FDA, AMA, and Medicare is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
When a skin graft or skin flap is compromised or failing, it is often due to a lack of oxygen and nutrients reaching the area. This can lead to tissue damage and slow or incomplete healing. HBOT helps to combat this by increasing the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the graft site by up to 1,200%. This promotes the growth of new blood vessels, improving blood flow and enhancing the body's natural healing processes.
When a skin graft or skin flap is compromised or failing, it is often due to a lack of oxygen and nutrients reaching the area. This can lead to tissue damage and slow or incomplete healing. HBOT helps to combat this by increasing the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the graft site by up to 1,200%. This promotes the growth of new blood vessels, improving blood flow and enhancing the body's natural healing processes.
Numerous studies have been conducted over the last 45 years, clarifying the value of HBOT for the survival of threatened or compromised grafts and flaps. One such study found that patients who underwent HBOT after reconstructive surgery had significantly better healing outcomes than those who did not receive the treatment. Additionally, hyperbaric oxygen treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of graft failure and improve overall graft survival rates.
What can you expect during hyperbaric oxygen therapy? You get into pajamas, lay back with a blanket, and watch a movie for 90 minutes while breathing 100% oxygen under pressure. This increased pressure allows the lungs to take in more oxygen than they would at normal atmospheric pressure, which can then be distributed throughout the body. Patients typically require multiple sessions of HBOT over the course of several weeks in order to see optimal results.
Situations requiring hyperbaric oxygen treatment include venous or arterial insufficiency, irradiated or hypoxic (lacking oxygen) wound beds, random flap ischemia, ischemia-reperfusion injuries, excessively large harvested grafts and grafts or flaps secondary to trauma. Time is of the essence in starting HBOT for threatened grafts or flaps, so start HBOT immediately. In fact, the typical protocol for compromised skin grafts or skin flaps is starting with two treatments per day to salvage as much damaged skin as early as possible.
We have over 25 years of experience helping patients with compromised grafts or flaps in all parts of the body heal and get back to living normal lives. Call us. We want to help you return to a normal life.
Patient Experiences
Listen to what real patients have to say about their experiences.
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Tomas, 67
After three surgeries, HBOT healed Tomas' abdominal graft
Tomas, a genial man, had suffered from compartment syndrome and had been in the hospital for three different surgeries on his abdomen. He had a graft that was not healing and not getting the oxygen and the blood supply it needed to heal. His vascular surgeon called Bay Area Hyperbarics to get him in ASAP because it was not healing, and the graft was not thriving. With HBOT, Tomas’s belly healed up completely without any further surgeries– to his great relief!
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Christopher, 5
Helped his toes heal after a farming accident
Christopher was a happy, cheerful, and active boy when he came to Bay Area Hyperbarics. Christopher’s parents had a farm in the Central Valley of California. Unfortunately, Christopher got too close to a tractor one day, which ran over his five toes and crushed them.
After surgery, he healed and ran around just fine. However, when the toes healed, they healed with webbing between them. There was concern that as he grew, the webbing would cause difficulties. So, the surgeon separated the toes, but because of the prior trauma, they would not heal.
In essence, the blood supply was limited, and thus, not enough oxygen was being carried into the toes. Christopher came to us and watched his favorite movies while sitting in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber with his Dad.
His toes healed up just fine. The hyperbaric oxygen treatments grew new microscopic blood vessels, which in turn delivered more oxygen to his toes. Everyone was pleased with the way Christopher’s toes healed up.
Patients: Start with Hyperbarics
It's easy to start with Hyperbarics. Just follow these simple steps
1
Give us a call
Did a physician refer you? If so, they can download and fax us back a patient referral form. If not, our medical staff will discuss whether hyperbaric is right for you.
2
We talk with your insurance
Our medical staff contacts Medicare or private insurance to receive authorization and create a plan with you.
3
You get on the road to recovery
We do a medical intake, explain everything you need to know, and get started on your hyperbaric oxygen anti-aging therapy sessions.
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Still looking for answers?
We're here to help. Contact us today to learn more about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help you.
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What is Hyperbaric Medicine?
Hyperbaric medicine, also called hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT, is a medical treatment where a patient sits or lies in a pressurized chamber and breathes 100% oxygen. In HBOT, oxygen dissolves into the blood, thus raising the oxygen concentration to very high levels.
This increased oxygen is a primary building block for tissues, muscle, and bone repair. Among other benefits, it kicks off cell reproduction, speeds up infection healing and wound healing, and decreases inflammation. -
Does HBOT kill cancer cells?
Current research indicates that hyperbaric oxygen does not kill cancer cells. However, there has been a small amount of research indicating that hyperbaric oxygen might reduce the size of certain tumors. Also, there has been a study on mice using hyperbaric oxygen, along with a ketogenic diet, to reduce tumors.
Hyperbaric oxygen causes many different healing modalities to kick into gear. Could its effect on strengthening the immune system inhibit the growth of cancer cells? Nobody knows.
There are numerous studies conclusively showing that hyperbaric oxygen does not encourage cancer cells or tumors to grow. Some patients claim that hyperbaric oxygen makes them feel a lot more comfortable and functional after chemotherapy and also during healing.
Note that some chemotherapy drugs are not to be used with hyperbaric oxygen, as the chemotherapy drugs can be enhanced and thus become toxic. A good hyperbaric oxygen facility (such as Bay Area Hyperbarics) will always call the chemotherapy manufacturer to ensure that hyperbaric oxygen treatment will be helpful and not damaging to the patient. -
What is the CPT code for HBOT?
The CPT code for HBOT is G0277.
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Does Medicare cover HBOT?
Medicare covers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for approved conditions, and many insurance companies also cover approved conditions. If your condition is not approved by your insurance, we can discuss our special rates. Give us a call at (408) 356–7438. We are happy to discuss your options with you.
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Can HBOT help Neuropathy?
Hyperbaric oxygen treatments help heal neuropathy by regrowing small blood vessels and nerves that have died from disease, injuries from radiation and aging. Patients often experience numbness and or pain when they start treatment. Hyperbaric treatments most often bring back sensation and make, for example, walking easier and more enjoyable.
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Why would a physician consider HBOT?
A physician would consider using hyperbaric chamber therapy in a variety of situations. Physicians most typically refer patients to hyperbarics when the patient is not healing with traditional medical interventions. This treatment is approved by Medicare for this condition.
Some patients experience significant unresolved pain, and unremitting disease states that the mechanisms of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber are known to affect, such as the downregulation of inflammatory genes. For example, some patients have experienced severe, unremitting hives with itching, which did not improve with any specialist interventions.
Some physicians will consider hyperbaric chamber therapy if the patient has no other good avenues for improving their failing health. Plus, physicians know hyperbaric oxygen treatment is safe and will not harm the patient. -
What is Hypebaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment where you inhale 100% oxygen in a chamber with increased atmospheric pressure. HBOT injects 400x the oxygen into your tissues and bones and mobilizes stem cells.
It regrows healthy tissues in the brain, blood vessels, skin, and bones. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment also reduces pain and swelling and speeds recovery. It is simple, effective, and painless.