HBOT is an FDA-approved treatment option in cases of compromised skin grafts and flaps, where the oxygen supply is limited. Skin grafts and flaps are used to treat specific wounds, such as in cases of skin cancer, traumatic wounds, skin loss after a serious infection, burns, and large wounds. Essentially, a graft is a piece of healthy skin that is removed from an area of the body and transplanted to the wound area to allow the wound to heal. In the case of a flap, the piece of skin is not completely removed, where it does not need to establish a new blood supply, and unlike a graft which is just skin, a graft can also contain fatty tissue and muscle.
Sometimes grafts and flaps become compromised for various reasons, such as a compromised immune system, infection, poor blood circulation, diabetes, etc.. In such cases your insurance will likely cover the cost of HBOT treatment. While HBOT is only FDA-approved for treating compromised grafts and flaps, it’s important to note that HBOT can be extremely beneficial before the grafts and flaps become compromised in order to promote complete healing. Flooding the wound area and the skin graft or flap with oxygen, HBOT encourages capillary growth, reduces swelling, and aids in white blood cell production to fight possible infection. In most cases, HBOT is successful at salvaging the compromised grafts or flaps, allowing healing to occur.