Imaging technology helps hyperbaric patients heal faster
Kim Sweeney has spent a lot of time in Bingham Memorial Hospital’s hyperbaric chamber in its Healing Center in Pocatello. She started going there around four years ago when she developed gangrene in her foot.
“I thought I was going to lose both of my legs,” Sweeney said.
She started undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which saturates tissues with oxygen with help from pressure to speed up the healing process.
Eventually, she also had fluorescein angiography imaging done on her right leg with the hospital’s Luna machine to see what could be saved.
“My left (leg) was completely saved, no further infections and no open wounds. The right one continued to go downhill,” Sweeney said.
With the machine, doctors can see how blood flows in an injury. The darker the color on the image, the less blood flow is indicated. For example, if the image shows a black area, then there’s hardly any blood coming in, if at all.
By seeing where blood is and is not flowing, doctors are able to decide better treatment options for a patient.
“We don’t treat somebody for a month and then a month down the road find out that there’s blood flow issues or oxygenation issues,” said clinic manager Jeff Ellis. “We can find that out initially from the start, address it and get the patient healed a lot faster. Patients are a lot happier that way.”
Sweeney’s right leg eventually was amputated, but she’s grateful her other leg was saved.
Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and Portneuf Medical Center don’t use Luna in their hospitals. However, PMC said it’s considering using the machine in the future.
