hyperrbaric oxygen chamber

HBO therapy is a medical treatment prescribed by a doctor to enhance the body’s natural healing process

Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center received national reaccreditation from the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), a nonprofit international organization that serves as a primary source of scientific information for divers and hyperbaric medicine physiology.

“This achievement speaks to our commitment to improve the health and quality of life—and access to care—for those in our community with wounds,” said Yoshinobu Mifune, MD, ABPM/UHM, FAAFP, FACCWS, senior medical director of Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine at LLUMC-Murrieta. “We are proud to be acknowledged for the high-quality care and outstanding dedication to patient safety that our staff exemplifies every day.”

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is a medical treatment prescribed by a doctor to enhance the body’s natural healing process. During HBO therapy, a patient breathes 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. The air pressure inside a HBO chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This “hyperbaric” (or high pressure) dose of oxygen helps the blood carry more oxygen to organs and connective tissues to promote wound healing. HBO therapy also activates the white blood cells to fight infection. Many different conditions have been shown to benefit from HBO therapy, especially chronic, non-healing wounds.

LLUMC-M’s Wound care & Hyperbaric Medicine program has treated nearly 6,000 patients since 2011 with a 99% satisfaction rate. The conditions most treated at LLUMC-Murrieta are (but not limited to):

  • Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency
  • Preparation and preservation of compromised skin grafts (not for primary management of wounds)
  • Chronic refractory osteomyelitis, unresponsive to conventional medical and surgical management
  • Osteoradionecrosis as an adjunct to conventional treatment
  • Soft tissue radionecrosis as an adjunct to conventional treatment
  • Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities
  • Sudden sensorineural hearing loss

The UHMS accreditation program is voluntary and requires detailed data regarding the center’s hyperbaric medicine quality, safety, patient outcomes, policies and procedures. UHMS experts then complete an onsite survey to examine staffing, training, equipment installation, operation and maintenance, facility and patient safety and standards of care.

For more information about the Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta, please call 951-290-4061 or visit llumcmurrieta.org.