San Diego wound care and hyperbaric medicine

Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat certain diabetic wounds, acute carbon monoxide poisoning, radiation damage, crush injuries, wounds and other conditions.
 
We’re also affiliated with the Divers Alert Network, uniquely preparing us to treat San Diego SCUBA divers who may be suffering from decompression illness.

The 8-foot-diameter hyperbaric chamber can be transformed into an intensive care unit, giving doctors the ability to care for patients who have suffered from a traumatic injury or who are critically ill.
 
During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you'll breathe pure oxygen under increased pressure, which boosts oxygen in the blood stream and stimulates the release of chemicals that help you heal.

Patients normally need a series of 20 to 30 treatments, with each treatment lasting 2 hours. Because hyperbaric oxygen therapy is completely painless, patients can spend the treatment reading or resting.

Inpatient wound healing services involve a collaborative treatment process between your primary care doctor and other specialists to provide you with comprehensive, advanced wound treatment.
 
Wound care is provided at Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s Wound Healing Center and at the Wound and Ostomy Inpatient Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

If you're at risk of amputation, our Limb Preservation Program — one of a few offered in San Diego County — offers a level of care and services that are unique and state-of-the-art to help prevent limb loss.
 
Our team of specialists can help ease the worry of amputation surgery due to complications from conditions such as diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, vascular disease or active wounds.
 
Learn more about our Limb Preservation Program, offered at Sharp Grossmont Hospital.

Sharp offers wound care and hyperbaric medicine at Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Sharp Memorial Hospital.

At Sharp’s Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, located at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, we provide oxygen therapy for all of San Diego County. As one of the most comprehensive diagnosis and wound treatment centers in San Diego, we offer the most advanced healing services that features East County's only Multiplace Hyperbaric Chamber.

At the Wound and Ostomy Inpatient Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital, our inpatient wound healing team is a collaboration among primary care provider, referring physicians and wound ostomy and continence nurses. Here, you will receive tailored treatment plans that combine expert care with advanced technology to treat both chronic and slow-healing wounds.

Sharp accepts almost all health insurance plans, including Medicare, Medi-Cal and most managed care and private insurance plans.

Be sure to check with your insurance company to verify specific coverage. Insurance companies frequently add new plans, and update provider networks and covered services under existing plans.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment in which a patient breathes 100 percent oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure in a hyperbaric chamber.

When oxygen is breathed while under pressure, more of it can be dissolved into the bloodstream. The body can use this extra oxygen to stimulate wound healing, fight certain infections and enhance some intravenous antibiotics.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used in conjunction with standard medical and surgical care.

To learn more about Sharp's hyperbaric oxygen therapy services, call the Hyperbaric Medicine Center at 619-740-4160.

Yes, therapy is provided inside the chamber. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not a topical oxygen treatment. The patient has to breathe the pressurized oxygen, which the body uses to grow new tissue and fight infection.

Oxygen is carried throughout the body by red blood cells, which are normally carrying all that they can carry. By breathing 100 percent oxygen under pressure inside a hyperbaric chamber, a person receives a more concentrated dose of oxygen and can absorb more into the bloodstream. The body then uses this extra oxygen wherever it is needed the most.

After a number of treatments, you may notice a slight, temporary change in vision, but this should return to normal after the treatments are finished.

Occasionally, patients may have difficulty equalizing their ears, but this is easily resolved with the placement of pressure equalization tubes. Most people find the sensation in their ears similar to when they ride in an airplane. Prior to treatment, our team will go over possible side effects with patients and share tips on how to handle them.

First, you must have one of the conditions approved by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. Then, you must get a referral from your primary care doctor. Finally, a hyperbaric physician will consult with you to determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy is right for you.