The Journal of Wound Care has published an international consensus document highlighting the potential of the use of oxygen to treat chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers (pictured).
The landmark consensus, reached by a panel of nine key opinion leaders, details myriad benefits of topical oxygen therapy (TOT) and suggested it could revolutionise how patients’ wounds are treated.
It said the therapy is designed to elevate oxygen tension, providing essential support for tissue regeneration, and promote rapid healing.
It added that unlike hyperbaric oxygen therapy, TOT can be administered by clinicians or even by patients themselves in various healthcare settings, making it highly adaptable and accessible.
An example of this in action is the NATROX® O₂ topical oxygen therapy device, which is smaller than an iPhone. The device from Cambridge University spinout Inotec – No.1 on our MedTech 50 ranking this year – is designed to help heal chronic wounds by generating and delivering continuous TOT to patients while being non-invasive and comfortable.
Already available on the NHS, the lightweight wearable NATROX® O₂ device gives patients complete freedom of movement, allowing them to get back to their normal lives while treating their hard-to-heal wounds.
The international consensus document also highlighted that by accelerating wound healing, TOT holds the potential to significantly reduce the costs associated with potential infection, hospitalisation and amputation, easing the burden on both patients and healthcare systems.
Experts recommend considering adjunctive TOT when the standard of care alone has not achieved greater than 50% wound closure after four weeks.
And TOT has been shown to reduce wound-related pain, with an astonishing 76% of patients experiencing substantial, rapid pain relief, and 69% discontinuing opioid use entirely.
Inotec – NATROX® O₂ device heals wounds with humidified oxygen
“The evidence supporting the efficacy of topical oxygen treatment is undeniable,” said Dr Thomas Serena, founder and CEO at SerenaGroup Inc and chief medical officer at Mendota Health and NATROX Wound Care.
NATROX won the CogX award for innovation in diagnostics recently.