Topical oxygen therapy stimulates healing in difficult, chronic wounds: a tertiary centre experience.

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.