Company insight
Breaking ground in wound healing: The rise of topical oxygen therapy
Addressing non-healing wounds presents a significant challenge in clinical practice, often requiring a multifaceted approach for effective management. Among the therapeutic modalities available, topical oxygen therapy (TOT) emerges as a promising intervention. This innovative approach utilises the healing properties of oxygen to address the underlying mechanisms that impede wound healing. By providing a continuous or intermittent supply of oxygen to the wound site, this therapy aims to expedite the healing process and improve clinical outcomes for patients with chronic wounds. Dr Greg Schultz Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida; Dr Windy Cole, director of wound care research at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine; and Dr Thomas Serena, CEO of SerenaGroup, share their perspectives on its application in clinical practice.
Why is topical oxygen therapy (TOT) getting so much attention recently? Dr Schultz: Several major factors support the interest seen at wound care meetings and by wound care providers. Part of this is everybody accepts that oxygen is good and that we need more oxygen in most chronic wounds as a general approach. A major reason why a product like NATROX®
O2 continuous
TOT is becoming such an interesting and hot topic right now is because there wasn’t something comparable to this before. This is a unique, first-in-class type of wound care treatment option.
Why is oxygen critical for wound healing? Dr Cole: Oxygen is important throughout all stages of the wound healing cascade. It’s the ultimate multitasker. We need oxygen to support energy production to keep a steady state when tissues are healthy. But when tissues are injured, we need more oxygen to support the processes of tissue repair and regeneration.
Why should clinicians incorporate TOT into their wound care practice? Dr Cole: Adding topical oxygen therapy to our standard of care is long overdue. The evidence is mounting. Topical oxygen is effective, but it’s also very simple to use. It’s
30 Application of the NATROX® O2 Oxygen Delivery System
an adjunctive therapy, so it's not an ‘if/or’, it's an ‘and’. It fits into our clinical processes and care algorithms very well.
What’s the difference between continuous and intermittent topical oxygen therapy? Dr Schultz: There are some theoretical advantages of having the continuous oxygen concentration increase compared to just intermittent oxygen. Part of the
problem is the duration of the increased oxygen in the wound bed that occurs with intermittent oxygen delivery. The cells need oxygen continuously for their increased metabolism, increased proliferation, and migration, as well as maintain a high level of oxygen to improve the function of our immune cells and to stimulate the metabolically dormant bacteria in biofilms to make them more sensitive to agents such as antibiotics.
“You have to have something that works and that patients can actually use. That’s where topical oxygen fills a niche that is open right now.”
Practical Patient Care /
www.practical-patient-care.com
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