Advances in the treatment of the diabetic foot: Is there a role for adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

There have been many advances in the treatment of wounds made in the last decade. Innovative techniques of wound closure, topical agents, aggressive vascular repair, focused wound care management, and adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy are but a few of these improvements. The vital role of oxygen in wound healing is becoming better understood, in no small part, due to Dr. T. K. Hunt and his colleagues at the Wound Healing Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco. Elements of that contribution will be examined in this article. How these elements may be applied to improve wound healing will be explained and the possible role of adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy based on sound science in the management of the difficult diabetic foot wound, will be highlighted.