In the summer months, Inspira emergency rooms all across South Jersey see an uptick in patients complaining of symptoms commonly seen with both heat stroke and heat exhaustion. But knowing the difference between these two conditions can be the difference between life and death.
ELMER, NJ (July 29) — Inspira Health Network is now treating patients with even more advanced technology for managing and healing chronic wounds and other conditions through hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Inspira Medical Center Elmer.
“Every year nearly five million Americans suffer from chronic wounds caused by diabetes or circulatory problems, said Jaclyn Brunner, M.D., medical director of hyperbaric therapy at Inspira Medical Center Elmer. “And, 15 percent of all diabetics will develop chronic wounds and more than 60,000 of them undergo amputation each year. With diabetes on the rise across the nation, the treatment of non-healing wounds has become incredibly important.”
Now, with two new state-of-the-art hyperbaric chambers, Inspira’s wound care specialists have another evidence-based therapy to manage and heal chronic wounds.
During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients relax in a comfortable, spacious chamber that is pressurized with 100 percent pure oxygen. This oxygen-rich environment promotes the body’s natural ability to heal and dramatically speeds up the healing process of chronic wounds. By increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood that is circulated to body tissues, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can promote wound healing, preserve damaged tissues, help to control infection and increase the formation of blood vessels. Hyperbaric therapy can also be used to treat radiation injury, carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness (the “bends").
“When placed in a pressurized environment of 100 percent pure oxygen, your body's natural healing mechanisms are given a boost, allowing for more rapid healing to occur,” said Dr. Brunner. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been proven effective in carefully controlled clinical studies for the treatment of diabetic chronic wounds. And, in just the last month since we began treating patients with hyperbaric therapy, our patients are already seeing significant results.”
Hyperbaric therapy treatments generally last from 90 to 120 minutes and are safe and pain-free. It allows most patients to simply relax while listening to music, watching TV or even napping during the treatment. Most wound patients receive a series of treatments ranging from 20 to up to 40 visits. Patients with chronic wounds tend to require a longer series of treatments.
About Inspira Health Network
Inspira Health Network is a charitable nonprofit health care organization formed in November 2012 by the merger of South Jersey Healthcare and Underwood-Memorial Hospital. The network, which traces its roots to 1899, now comprises three hospitals, four multi-specialty health centers and a total of more than 60 locations. These include outpatient imaging and rehabilitation centers; urgent care; numerous specialty centers, including sleep medicine, cardiac testing and wound care; home care and hospice; and more than two dozen primary and specialty physician practices in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.
Together with its medical staff of more than 1,100 physicians and other care providers, Inspira Health Network provides evidence-based care to help each patient achieve the best possible outcome. Clinical and support staffs are focused on providing safe care in a safe environment.
