MOULTRIE, Ga. — Vereen Rehabilitation Center recently added hyperbaric oxygen therapy to the list of treatments provided in its Wound Care program.

Hyperbaric oxygen chambers have been proven to speed up the healing process by using oxygen to stimulate angiogenesis, which is new blood vessel formation in tissue, according to a press release from the center’s parent organization, Colquitt Regional Medical Center.

“We have been researching hyperbaric therapy for a long time, and are proud to be able to offer this to our patients,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO Jim Matney. “The research speaks for itself; this will be a game-changer for individuals who have been dealing with wounds or other conditions that just won’t respond to traditional treatments.”

Two one-person chambers, large enough to hold a seven-foot tall patient, are now onsite at the Vereen Center. The chambers are constructed of a steel frame with a see-through, acrylic cylinder that provides the patient with a sense of spaciousness, the hospital said. The chambers have a pressure capability of three times the normal atmospheric pressure. Pressurized with 100 percent oxygen, the patient simply breathes normally while situated comfortably within the chamber. The increased pressure and oxygen concentration supersaturate the blood and tissues with oxygen and add a dimension to the healing process previously unavailable. A two-way intercom enables the patient to communicate with a staff member or physician who is present at all times during the treatment.

The list of ailments that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can treat is long but the most common are diabetic foot ulcers, the hospital said. Osteomyelitis (infection of bone), certain tissue infections, carbon monoxide poisoning, non-healing tissue graphs and flaps, crush injuries, and thermal burns are other conditions that respond well to this therapy. Patients who have undergone radiation treatments and are experiencing post-radiation injuries can also benefit.

Scott Romanowski, assistant vice president for rehabilitation services, is excited to have this in the Wound Care clinic at Vereen.

“We have always been focused on delivering a multi-disciplinary approach to rehabilitation at the Vereen Center,” Romanowski said. “This is another tool to add to our arsenal that we can offer patients. When you have a wound that has resisted other treatments and is really having a negative impact on the patient’s health and quality of life, this is going to allow us to help them tremendously.”

Dr. Thomas Estes, F.A.C.S., a long-time surgeon with Colquitt Regional and the Sterling Physician Group, is the medical director for the Wound Care & Hyperbaric program. Estes works with a team of registered nurses and a specially trained hyperbaric technician to ensure that each patient is a qualified candidate for the therapy.

“I continue to be impressed by the quality of care available at Colquitt Regional and the Vereen Center,” said Colquitt Regional Hospital Authority Chairman Mo Yearta, Ed.D. “Our hospital has committed to bringing the most up-to-date technologies to our community, and they have once again delivered on that promise.”

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy at the Vereen Center is provided in collaboration with Precision Health Care, a comprehensive wound healing and hyperbaric medicine organization dedicated to the development of state-of-the-art hyperbaric and wound healing centers. The Wound Care & Hyperbaric program at the Vereen Center is now open 5 days a week. For more information call 229-890-3553 or visit www.vereencenter.com.