Necrotizing signifies the death of most or all of the cells in an organ or tissue due to disease, injury or failure of the blood supply. A necrotizing infection causes patches of tissue to die as a result of bacteria invading the skin or the tissues under the skin. Hyperbaric oxygen is an effective tool to resolve these infections along with surgical debridement, antibiotic therapy and maximal goal-directed critical care therapy for infections of soft tissues resulting in necrosis, according to the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society.

A variety of conditions are covered and approved for adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy including:

• Necrotizing fasciitis (an infection caused by “flesh-eating bacteria”)

• Non-clostridial myonecrosis

• Crepitant anaerobic cellulitis

• Zygomycosis, and

• Fournier’s Gangrene.

Patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy by its ability to:

• Reduce pain and swelling.

• Supersaturate the ischemic areas with a diffusion of oxygen dissolved in the plasma in circulation to be delivered to areas of poorly perfused tissue

• Limit the spread and progression of infection through hyper-oxygenation.

• Enhance antibiotic penetration/transport across cell walls into target bacteria.

• Help salvage limbs affected by severe necrosis as in necrotizing fasciitis.

• Reduce the amount of hypoxic leukocyte dysfunction occurring within an area of hypoxia and infection (decreasing leukocyte adherence to reduce systemic toxity.

• Decrease morbidity and mortality rates.

WHEN TO CALL HYOX:

• Immediately, as part of a critical care plan. Treatment protocols may call for multiple treatments in a day at the commencement of treatment for maximum effectiveness for certain necrotizing soft tissue infections, like necrotizing fasciitis.

Download the Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections Condition Flyer