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Hyperbaric Oxygen and Wound Healing Center

For more information, call (805) 389-5944 .

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St. John’s Hyperbaric Oxygen and Wound Healing Center

St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo has the only hospital-based hyperbaric medicine unit in West Ventura County. The two-chamber unit and the staff of hyperbaric-trained physicians, registered nurses, and technicians are on call 24 hours a day to provide emergency treatments. The department treats between 20 and 30 decompression illness victims a year, which makes them one of the busiest diving medicine departments in the country.

Chronic Wounds: A Common Problem

Chronic wounds affect nearly five million Americans, with about 500,000 new cases diagnosed each year. There are many different types of chronic wounds, including diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers and sores, arterial ulcers, venous ulcers, traumatic ulcers, and malignancies.

Individuals with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to chronic wounds, and are 12 times more likely to undergo limb amputation due to unhealed wounds.

Advanced Care and Treatment

St. John's Hyperbaric Oxygen and Wound Healing Center at St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital offers the most advanced treatment for a wide range of conditions and patients, including patients who are critically ill, receiving care on an outpatient basis, or being treated for chronic wounds.

The only hospital-based wound treatment and hyperbaric medicine facility in Ventura County, our Center offers three state-of-the-art oxygen chambers capable of delivering up to three atmospheres of 100 percent oxygen, allowing us to treat even the most lifethreatening of emergencies in a safe and compassionate environment.

Who is a Candidate for Hyperbaric Medicine?
Appropriate candidates for hyperbaric medicine include patients with:

Diabetic foot and leg wounds
Divers’ decompression illness (the "bends" and air embolisms)
Chronic bone infections
Bone wounds caused by cancer radiation therapy
Ulcers/wounds caused by cancer radiation therapy
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Rattlesnake bites
Brown Recluse spider bites
Crush injuries of extremities
Compromised flaps and skin grafts
Arterial gas embolism
Cyanide poisoning
Gangrene
Venous leg ulcers
Ischemic (arterial) wounds/Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
Problem decubitus wounds
Vasculitic wounds
Chronic osteomyelitis
Unusual wounds such as pyoderma gangrenosum and calciphylaxis
Necrotizing fasciitis (the so-called "flesh-eating bacteria")

In-Patient Wound Care Consultations and Board-Certified Physicians

St. John’s Hyperbaric Oxygen and Wound Healing Center is the only hospital-based center between Los Angeles and Northern California, offering hyperbaric oxygen services with the ability to treat critically ill patients. Our board certified physicians, registered nurses, and technicians work closely with referring physicians. We also offer inpatient wound care consultations for St. John’s patients.

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, also called HBO, is a medical treatment that uses increased atmospheric pressures to deliver high dose oxygen to patients suffering from a wide range of clinical conditions. The most frequent uses of hyperbaric oxygen are soft tissue wound healing and limb salvage. In a pressurized chamber, which is how HBO is administered, 10 to 20 times the normal amount of oxygen reaches the body tissues.

The combination of increased oxygen and pressure allows the blood to carry greater amounts of oxygen to the area of the body that needs healing. This extra oxygen is very beneficial in treating a number of conditions, including chronic, infected or irradiated wounds, carbon monoxide poisoning, and decompression sickness. The hyperbaric chambers are capable of delivering up to three atmospheres of 100 percent oxygen. Wound care is individually prescribed using state of the art diagnostic techniques and treatment.