Region’s Only Hyperbaric Multi-Place Oxygen Chamber Helps Heal Wounds
The submarine vibe of the hyperbaric multi-place oxygen chamber at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital didn’t intimidate patient Brad Russell. The 58-year-old Springfield man is 6’8” and admittedly somewhat claustrophobic.
At the advice of his care team, he took the short drive to JMH to use a more spacious multi-place chamber, the largest available in central Illinois. Russell now holds the record for most treatments there at 80!
“It was really interesting,” said Russell about the process. “You are getting into something that looks like a submarine. It’s crazy what technology can do nowadays. I am glad it was there. Otherwise, I would have a big gap in my leg and be fighting off infection all the time.”
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) delivers oxygen to damaged tissue at an air pressure rate of 2 to 3 times higher than normal air pressure. The therapy is a key factor in healing persistent, chronic non-healing wounds, according to Libby Nobis, EMT-B, CHT, supervisor of the HBOT program at JMH. The chamber is part of the Advanced Wound Healing Center at JMH, where they treat:
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous stasis ulcers
- Post-surgical incisions
- Radiation wounds
- Traumatic injuries
- Pressure ulcers
- Any other wound not healing within thirty days
While the therapy may not be well-known, it proves effective for those patients who can commit to the unusual environment and time commitment involved.
“Some of the patients we have had in our chamber would have lost their limbs without treatment,” Nobis said. “Patients come in with terrible pain and leave pain-free after treatments.”
Russell was fighting Stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma cancer, which required a skin graft after having his lymph nodes removed. Due to ongoing radiation treatments, a deep hole emerged in the skin graft, which proved susceptible to infections and also resistant to healing.
He started hyperbaric oxygen treatments and made steady progress through the many months of treatment.
“Brad was a model patient,” Nobis said. “He holds the record for the most treatments ever at JMH so we all really got to know him. One patient was pretty apprehensive about the small space inside the chamber, and Brad was really talking him through it, along with the inside hyperbaric tech Carrie Wills.”
Russell appreciated the camaraderie that developed between him and the staff and the other patients plus the extra little things.
“I would get there around 7:30 and Libby would have coffee for me,” he said. “Orange Gatorade and M&Ms were my thing in the chamber. I would bring in my own, but they started having some there for me, too.”
Today, Russell is done with HBOT treatments after significant improvement. His teenage daughter is exploring healthcare as a career field after his medical journey. He is also recovering from a torn muscle in his knee and walking with a crutch, but he keeps it all in perspective.
“Three years ago, they told me I was going to die,” he said. “My knee hurts, and that means I’m alive. What a journey.”
If you’re struggling with a non-healing wound, chronic ulcer or radiation-related tissue damage, hyperbaric oxygen therapy might provide relief and a solution. Talk with your physician about the options.
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