Some patients at ACMH Hospital are being put under intense pressure, and many say they don't mind a bit. Pressurized hyperbaric oxygen therapy is helping cure such ailments as diabetic foot ulcers, bone infections or certain crush injuries and helping avoid amputations.

According to Nurse Jacqueline Sabo, the pressure can be a relaxing, pleasant experience.

In April of 2008, ACMH Hospital expanded the Snyder Institute for Vascular Health and Research unit, sometimes known as the "wound center," to include two hyperbaric oxygen chambers. Sabo, who is the hyperbaric oxygen unit charge nurse and safety director, said since last April, more than 40 patients have undergone the treatment.

Dr. Thomas E. Serena, head of the Snyder unit, said the hospital has the largest chambers in western Pennsylvania. He said that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat not only diabetic foot ulcers and bone infections but also soft tissue damage from radiation, gangrene, carbon monoxide poisoning, jaw bone infections due to radiation and other diseases.

Serena said the idea has been around for more than 40 years, starting when the military developed decompression chambers for underwater divers who surfaced too fast and developed the "bends," or an excess of nitrogen in the blood. He said hyperbaric therapy began in medical facilities about two decades ago.

"We have some very convincing data," Serena said, "that during the last few decades this therapy has significantly lowered the rates of amputation that we normally see as a result of diabetic foot ulcers or gangrene. Moreover, it's the only viable treatment for radiation injuries.

"It helps to grow new blood vessels, a process we call angiogenesis. It is essential to limb regeneration. Here at ACMH we've seen some amazing results and indeed, less amputations."

Sabo said that patients typically undergo 30 to 40 treatments, each lasting about two hours.

"We have patients dress in cotton gowns and slippers," she said. "They must remove all jewelry and cannot have on makeup or have used deodorant or hair creams or spray or colognes prior to a treatment. This is for safety reasons.

"Sometimes patients are a bit apprehensive just before their first treatment, but they soon find out that going into a chamber is not a bad experience. They lie on a litter and are covered with a blanket and have a pillow. Once inside, the chamber is sealed. Patients can watch a TV that is on the outside of the glass-walled chamber and hear the sound inside."

She said the air pressure inside a chamber is gradually increased to about two atmospheres, equivalent to diving to a depth of 40 feet underwater. At the same time, pure oxygen is pumped into the chamber. A patient will breathe 100 percent pure oxygen for one hour, then will breathe room air through a special mask for 10 minutes. For the remainder of the second hour pure oxygen is again breathed. During the final 15 minutes, the pressure is gradually reduced to normal levels.

"We've seen some amazing results with some difficult cases," Serena said. "I don't think we've even scratched the surface regarding the benefits of hyperbaric therapy. Experimental evaluations are being conducted to see if hyperbaric therapy can be used to treat post traumatic stress syndrome or certain neurological issues."

He said that while the therapy can be expensive, most of the costs are covered by insurance or Medicare. He added that the Veterans Administration Medical Centers in Butler and Pittsburgh are referring more veterans to the ACMH hyperbaric unit for treatment of ailments.

For more information, Serena said readers may call the Snyder Institute at 724-543-8537.

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