Topical hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a technique of delivering 100% oxygen directly to an open, moist
wound at a pressure slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. It is hypothesized that the high concentrations
of oxygen diffuse directly into the wound to increase the local cellular oxygen tension, which in turn
promotes wound healing.
Topical hyperbaric oxygen devices consist of an appliance to enclose the wound area (frequently an extremity)
and a source of oxygen; conventional oxygen tanks may be used. The appliances may be disposable and
may be used without supervision in the home by well-trained patients. Topical hyperbaric oxygen therapy
has been investigated as a treatment of skin ulcerations due to diabetes, venous stasis, postsurgical infection,
gangrenous lesion, decubitus ulcers, amputations, skin graft, burns, or frostbite.
Due to their different methods of delivery, topical and systemic hyperbaric oxygen are distinct technologies.
With systemic hyperbaric oxygen, the patient is entirely enclosed in a pressure chamber and breaths oxygen
at a pressure greater than one atmosphere (the pressure of oxygen at sea level). Breathing 100% oxygen at
one atmosphere pressure or applying oxygen topically to parts of the body without the use of a pressurized
chamber, which encloses the patient completely, is not considered hyperbaric oxygen pressurization