Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves the administrtion of oxygen in an environment where the ambient pressure has been increased. The ensuing hyperoxia and elevated pressure have a number of beneficial clinical effects, including the promotion of wound healing. When HBOT is used repetitively, it can become an expensive treatment modality. Therefore, in wound patients it can be cost effective only in extraordinary circumstances. In the acute wound, it can be a useful adjunct in the treatment of some life- or limb-threatening situations. In treating a chronic wound, it can be useful in specific settings in which a wound has been truly refractory to appropriate local medical and surgical care. This article is not a comprehensive review of hyperbaric medicine. Outstanding reviews of diving medicine1-4 and clinical hyperbaric medicine5-8 have already been written. This review examines the relevance of HBOT to wound management. It is necessary, however, to preface this review with a brief discussion of the background, basic physics, and physiology of HBOT. © 1994.
