Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

Scottsdale Hyperbaric Center provides Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as an adjunctive treatment for select surgical complications, including compromised grafts and flaps. HBOT is FDA- and Medicare-approved for compromised grafts and flaps and may be considered in patients with impaired wound healing following reconstructive or complex surgical procedures.

Surgical Tissue Hypoxia and Healing Impairment

Complex surgical procedures can result in tissue hypoxia, edema, and compromised microvascular perfusion. These factors may impair wound healing and contribute to:

• Delayed wound closure

• Tissue ischemia and necrosis

• Partial or complete graft or flap failure

• Increased risk of surgical site infection

Patients with prior radiation therapy, vascular disease, diabetes, or trauma-related tissue injury may be at increased risk for impaired perfusion and wound complications.

Clinical Indications for HBOT in Surgical Patients

HBOT may be considered for:

• Compromised grafts and flaps following reconstructive, trauma, or oncologic surgery

• Ischemic surgical wounds with delayed healing

• Post-radiation surgical reconstruction with impaired tissue perfusion

• Traumatic soft tissue injuries requiring reconstructive closure

Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

HBOT involves breathing 100% oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure, resulting in elevated plasma oxygen content and improved oxygen diffusion into hypoxic tissues.

Clinical effects relevant to surgical wound healing include:

• Increased tissue oxygen tension in ischemic or compromised surgical tissue

• Support of neovascularization and capillary density in hypoxic wound beds

• Reduction of tissue edema through vasoconstriction while maintaining oxygen delivery

• Adjunctive antimicrobial support in contaminated or infected wounds

Protocols follow established clinical guidelines, including those from the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS). Each patient is evaluated individually to determine medical appropriateness for therapy.