OBJECTIVE Oxygen plays a central role in wound healing. Recent technological advances have miniaturised oxygen delivery systems, with novel topical oxygen therapy allowing patients to receive oxygen therapy 24 hours… Click to show full abstract
OBJECTIVE Oxygen plays a central role in wound healing. Recent technological advances have miniaturised oxygen delivery systems, with novel topical oxygen therapy allowing patients to receive oxygen therapy 24 hours a day while remaining completely mobile. Here we aim to examine the efficacy and safety of continuous topical oxygen diffusion in a 'real-world' setting. METHODS Topical oxygen therapy (TOT) was evaluated in patients with chronic, non-healing wounds in a tertiary referral specialist clinic. RESULTS The mean wound duration before TOT was 15 months. Regardless of treatment duration, in this previously non-healing group complete wound closure was observed in 32% of the total patients treated with the TOT device. However, optimal wound healing occurred when the device was used for >25 days, with an 83% wound area reduction and 47% wound closure rate seen in venous leg ulcers (VLUs) and a 74% reduction and a 57% wound closure rate in arterial foot ulcers. CONCLUSION Use of TOT in chronic wounds stimulates a healing state. In our study, almost half of the previously non-healing wounds closed.
               
Click one of the above tabs to view related content.