Warren Haney has benefited from hyperbaric oxygen therapy at CMC.

Warren Haney has suffered with a host of medical problems for decades. The 72-year-old New Orleans resident had an aneurysm in 1975 that left him a paraplegic. Twenty years later, he broke his right ankle and doctors had to amputate his right leg below the knee.

The years of limited mobility have taken their toll on Haney's body.

"Sitting in a wheelchair, the skin tends to break down, especially as I get older," Haney says. "Wounds are a big problem for me. I've already had three skin-flap procedures for wounds."

Haney had 15 deep, serious wounds when he sought treatment at the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Chalmette Medical Center. Since then, the Center's wound-care specialists have been using the latest technology and wound-care products to treat Haney.

Hyperbaric chamber helps healing
One of the treatments helping Haney to heal is hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Five days a week, Haney lies in a pressurized chamber and breathes 100 percent oxygen at increased pressure resulting in up to 20 times more oxygen available for the body's tissue. This therapy increases the level of oxygen -- a vital component of healing -- in Haney's blood.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy initially was used to treat decompression sickness and other underwater diving accidents. Doctors now know it also can help patients with wounds including: non-healing diabetic ulcers; deep infections of the skin, muscles, soft tissues or bones; failed skin grafts; and complications following an amputation.

"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps stimulate the body's defense mechanisms, enhance tissue growth and the formation of new blood vessels, and reduce the risk of infection," Dr. Domangue says. "It's often very effective in patients, like Mr. Haney, who have serious wounds that don't respond to traditional wound-care treatment." Since he began treatment, Haney's progress has been remarkable.

"The staff is very upbeat and positive, and they're very precise with their treatment," he says. "I'm getting results. My wounds are getting better."

9001 Patricia Street, P.O. Box 1727, Chalmette, LA 70044 (504) 620-6000