Hospital will significantly expand its services, treating up to 24 patients at a time
MILWAUKEE, April 17 /PRNewswire/ — Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center’s new hyperbaric chamber will triple the hospital’s capacity to treat patients with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and improve its regional wound care services.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080417/AQTH107)
The 52-foot-long, 66-ton chamber, the second-largest in the U.S. and the largest in Wisconsin, will be able to treat up to 24 patients at one time.
The chamber was installed today after being lifted by a huge crane and placed into the basement of Aurora St. Luke’s through a 1,100-square-foot hole.
Hyperbaric chambers are primarily used to help treat difficult wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, but also are used for carbon monoxide poisoning and a host of other medical conditions. During hyperbaric treatment, patients breathe 100 percent oxygen in a pressurized chamber. The increased oxygen in the blood stimulates small blood vessel and skin growth and helps fight infection.
“This new chamber will allow us to continue to provide our patients with the most advanced, state-of-the-art technologies available in wound care,” said Jeffrey A. Niezgoda, M.D., medical director of Aurora’s Centers for Comprehensive Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Program. “Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center has always been a pioneer in the field of hyperbaric medicine. This new chamber will allow us to continue to attract patients from throughout the Midwest.”
Hyperbaric treatment can literally save the lives and limbs of patients with wounds that are difficult to treat because of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and arterial vascular disease, Dr. Niezgoda said.
Jack Simanonok, M.D., another hyperbaric physician in the Aurora program, said there is a growing need for hyperbaric therapy.
“The role of hyperbaric medicine is becoming increasingly important as the incidence of diabetes increases, the population ages and the number of chronic wounds exceeds 6 million yearly,” Dr. Simanonok said. “There are currently 24 million diabetics in the U.S., approximately 8 percent of the population, and these patients are at significant risk for complications related to diabetic foot disease. Obesity and tobacco use also impact the body’s ability to heal and may contribute to the development of chronic wounds.”
Monica Skarban, regional manager of wound care and hyperbaric medicine for Aurora Health Care, said: “Our program provides patients with a full range of wound care services, and we collaborate with experts throughout Aurora Health Care to provide the best, most complete care for our patients. We have access to multidisciplinary groups such as the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association, vascular services, physical therapists, the lymphodema clinic, nutritional medicine and pain management.”
Mary O’Brien, chief administrative officer at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, said that great care was taken in the design of the new hyperbaric chamber to ensure a comfortable environment for patients. The chamber features natural lighting, relaxing colors, climate control, entertainment systems and even a restroom.
“The patient is at the center of everything we do at Aurora, so in designing the new chamber we sought input from patients,” she explained. “Having access to this kind of technology is a very significant development for our patients.”
The chamber was built in Queensland, Australia. It left Brisbane, Australia, on a ship on Feb. 22, arriving in Long Beach, Calif., on April 4. It then was loaded onto a trailer and trucked cross-country to Milwaukee.
The new chamber is expected to be fully operational in August. Until then, Aurora. St. Luke’s patients will continue to use the twin chambers that were installed in 1965 and nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde. The Bonnie chamber can accommodate up to six patients, while the Clyde chamber can treat two patients at a time. After the new chamber is put into use, the old chambers will continue to be used for research.
Aurora is the only Wisconsin health system accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. It is one of only 88 accredited nationwide, and was given accreditation “with distinction,” which places it in the top 10 percent of accredited hyperbaric facilities in the United States.
Aurora Health Care provides about 6,500 hyperbaric treatments a year and is the largest provider of hyperbaric care in Wisconsin. Aurora also offers hyperbaric care in West Allis, Hartford, Oshkosh and Green Bay.
Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers care at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.
AURORA HEALTH CARE:
A LEADER IN HYPERBARIC MEDICINE— Aurora Health Care delivers more hyperbaric oxygen therapy than any
other health care provider in Wisconsin, providing 6,500 treatments to
patients each year.
— Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is the only Wisconsin hospital with a
hyperbaric chamber of the size and scope of the one now being
installed. The second-largest in the nation, the new chamber can
accommodate up to 24 patients at one time.
— Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center has the only Level I wound care
center in Wisconsin, staffed by board-certified hyperbaric and wound
care physicians. Only 200 such centers exist in the U.S.
— Aurora is the only Wisconsin health system accredited by the Undersea
and Hyperbaric Medical Society. It is one of only 88 accredited
nationwide, which places it in the top 10% of hyperbaric facilities in
the United States.
— The two current hyperbaric chambers at Aurora St. Luke’s, nicknamed
Bonnie and Clyde, will be kept for research. Bonnie can accommodate
six patients and an attendant, Clyde two patients and an attendant.
— In addition to the services available to patients at Aurora St.
Luke’s, Aurora Health Care offers hyperbaric and wound care close to
home in these communities:
— West Allis
— Green Bay
— Oshkosh
— HartfordABOUT AURORA ST. LUKE’S NEW HYPERBARIC CHAMBER
— Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center’s new rectangular hyperbaric chamber
is one of the two largest hyperbaric chambers in the United States at
52 feet long and 66 tons. It is just 3 inches shorter than the largest
chamber, in use at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
— The new chamber has two large main treatment areas, each 10 feet by 20
feet. It can accommodate up to 24 seated patients, or a mix of
patients in wheelchairs and beds. The new chamber will allow Aurora
St. Luke’s to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to three times as many
patients as it can now with its existing two chambers.
— Each hyperbaric treatment lasts two hours, so it’s important that the
chamber be comfortable for patients. The new chamber was designed
with input from patients and includes natural lighting, relaxing
colors, climate control, entertainment systems and a restroom.
— The $2 million hyperbaric chamber was custom-built by Fink Engineering
in Queensland, Australia. Fink representatives have worked closely
with Aurora St. Luke’s personnel and will be in Milwaukee as the
chamber is placed into the hospital and prepared for service.
— The chamber has had a long journey. It left Brisbane, Australia, on a
ship on Feb. 22, arriving in Long Beach, Calif., on April 4. It then
was loaded onto a trailer and trucked cross-country to Milwaukee.FACTS ABOUT HYPERBARIC MEDICINE
— Hyperbaric treatment can literally save the lives and limbs of
patients with wounds that are difficult to heal because of chronic
medical conditions such as diabetes and poor circulation. It is also
used to treat other difficult to heal wounds such as necrotizing
infections (flesh-eating bacteria), radiation tissue damage, burns,
carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation and scuba diving injuries.
— Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the amount of oxygen in the blood,
delivering more oxygen to injured tissue. Increased oxygen stimulates
small blood vessel and skin growth and helps fight infection.
— Patients receiving hyperbaric treatment breathe 100 percent oxygen in
a pressurized chamber. Air consists of about 21 percent oxygen and 78
percent nitrogen. In the pressurized atmosphere, patients receive
about 15 times the oxygen they would normally breathe in unpressurized
air.
— Receiving hyperbaric therapy in a pressurized chamber is comparable to
being in an airplane. Patients may feel their ears “pop” as they
adjust to the pressure.
— Each treatment lasts two hours. Patients may receive from 15 to 30
treatments, depending on their condition.
— The National Fire Protection Association has strict rules about what
patients can wear or take inside the enclosed, oxygen-rich space.
Electronic devices such as cell phones and iPods are not allowed.
— Hyperbaric chambers originally had rounded corners because rectangular
corners could not be reinforced enough to handle the pressurized
atmosphere. The development of stronger metals now allows for
rectangular designs.
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Source: Aurora Health Care
CONTACT: Sue Pierman, +1-414-647-6432, for Aurora Health Care
Web site: http://www.aurorahealthcare.org/
