Surgery

Surgery is a medical procedure where an opening into the body is performed through small or large incisions to treat or manage injuries and diseases.  Types of surgeries range from simple dental procedures to complicated brain surgeries.  All surgery results in an incision or wound, which produces a natural inflammatory response to promote healing.  Even a seemingly harmless surgical intervention can overwhelm the immune system, which can lead to suboptimal wound healing and/or post operative complications(1).  

 

Extivita Therapies for Surgical Patients:

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Extivita Therapies for Surgical Patients:

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

Nutritional IV Therapy

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

Infrared Sauna

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Surgical Patients:

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease - Chapel Hill

HBOT is an effective treatment for surgery, both pre-operatively and post-operatively.  Pre-operative benefits include increased antioxidant production, which helps protect cells from oxidative damage and inflammation (1). It has also been shown to increase ischemic tolerance, induce neuroprotection, and decrease post-surgical complications (1,2,3).  Research shows that there is a link between cognitive decline, surgery, and anesthesia. HBOT can prevent cognitive impairment after surgery(1).

HBOT can also accelerate recovery and be an effective adjuvant therapy for addressing surgical wounds that are not healing properly (4).

 

HBOT for Plastic Surgery or Cosmetic Procedures:

Patients who undergo plastic surgery or aesthetic/cosmetic procedures may greatly benefit from HBOT to help heal faster and avoid surgical complications.  Research has shown favorable results when HBOT is used in the treatment of wounds, inflammation, and infection(3-5). A significant increase in oxygen in the blood (up to 800% more than what we are normally breathing) and subsequently the tissues, has many positive effects; including decreased pain, redness, bruising, and swelling.  HBOT also helps fight infections and increases collagen formation.  

In patients who received hair transplantation surgery, HBOT minimized pain, follicle shedding, itchiness, and folliculitis(6) .  HBOT has been shown to enhance and expedite the healing process, shorten recovery time from procedures like facelifts, hair transplants, liposuction, breast augmentation and more.   

Scar formation: Studies show neatly arranged collagen fibers in scars tissue with hyperbaric treated surgical incisions vs course, tortuous disordered collagen fibers in non HBOT treated incisions(7) .    HBOT treated surgical incisions could decrease the formation of hypertrophic, thick scars, keloid formation, and pathological scar recurrence(7) .   

 

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease - Chapel Hill

Effects of HBOT on Surgical Patients:

Decreases Inflammation

Decreased Inflammation

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces systemic inflammation by increasing anti-inflammatory gene expression and decreasing proinflammatory genes.

Grows New Blood Vessels

New Blood Vessel Formation

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy stimulates the formation of new blood vessels, healing injured tissues that were unable to get nutrients and oxygen.

Increases Stem Cell Production

Increased Stem Cell Activity

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy mobilizes stem progenitor cells (SPCs) from the bone marrow, creating the opportunity for tissue regeneration.

Increases Stem Cell Production

Antibacterial & Antimicrobial

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to target infections and harmful bacteria, both directly and as a supplement to conventional antibiotics. 

Increases Stem Cell Production

Inhibit Pathological Scar Formation

 Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes healthy collagen production, allowing fibrous tissue to have more elastic properties for minimal scar formation

IV Therapy for Surgical Patients:

Intravenous Vitamin C in our Myer’s cocktail produces many positive effects pre- and post-surgery.  It is an essential nutrient which plays a major role in all phases of wound healing, functioning as both cofactor and potent antioxidant(8).  As a cofactor, Vitamin C promotes collagen formation, important in tissue repair and regeneration.  As an antioxidant, Vitamin C removes toxins, is anti-microbial, and contributes to immune defense making it both anti-inflammatory and cell protective(9).  Studies have shown that Vitamin C levels decrease after surgery(10).  Such a deficiency can impair wound healing, immunity, and lead to higher susceptibility to infection, resulting in further inflammation and pain.   

Nutritional IV Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease in Durham, NC

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF) in Durham, NC

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF) for Surgical Patients:

Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy significantly reduces both acute and chronic post-operative pain, inflammation, and narcotic use(11,12).  PEMF signals modulate anti-inflammatory pathways, decreasing inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 B, effecting nitric oxide signaling, leading to faster, higher quality surgical wound repair(13). 

Infrared Sauna for Surgical Patients:

The biological effects of Far infrared rays have shown to have an effect that promotes wound healing.  Studies show that FIR decreases inflammatory cytokines, induces collagen and fibroblasts proliferation, improves mitochondrial function, and mediates other genes to assist in skin wound healing(14,15).   

Full Spectrum Infrared Sauna RTP, NC

News & Research for Surgery:

References
  1. Gao, Zhi-Xin et al. “Hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning improves postoperative cognitive dysfunction by reducing oxidant stress and inflammation.” Neural regeneration research vol. 12,2 (2017): 329-336. doi:10.4103/1673-5374.200816  
  2. Alex, Joseph et al. “Pretreatment with hyperbaric oxygen and its effect on neuropsychometric dysfunction and systemic inflammatory response after cardiopulmonary bypass: a prospective randomized double-blind trial.” The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery vol. 130,6 (2005): 1623-30. doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2005.08.018  
  3. Friedman, Tali et al. “Hyperbaric Oxygen Preconditioning Can Reduce Postabdominoplasty Complications: A Retrospective Cohort Study.” Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open vol. 7,10 e2417. 31 Oct. 2019, doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002417  
  4. Lopes, André et al. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as adjuvant for treating wound complications after extensive resection for vulvar malignancy.” Undersea & hyperbaric medicine : journal of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc vol. 45,1 (2018): 27-32.  
  5. Bassetto, Franco et al. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Plastic Surgery practice: case series and literature overview.” Il Giornale di chirurgia vol. 40,4 (2019): 257-275.  
  6. Fan, Zhe-Xiang et al. “The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with hair transplantation surgery for the treatment of alopecia.” Journal of cosmetic dermatology vol. 20,3 (2021): 917-921. doi:10.1111/jocd.13665  
  7. Ruxin Xie, Ai Zhong, Junliang Wu, Ying Cen & Junjie Chen (2023) Could hyperbaric oxygen be an effective therapy option for pathological scars? A systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, 57:1-6, 330-335, DOI: 10.1080/2000656X.2022.2075371 
  8. Moores, Jane. “Vitamin C: a wound healing perspective.” British journal of community nursing vol. Suppl (2013): S6, S8-11. doi:10.12968/bjcn.2013.18.sup12.s6  
  9. Carr, Anitra C, and Silvia Maggini. “Vitamin C and Immune Function.” Nutrients vol. 9,11 1211. 3 Nov. 2017, doi:10.3390/nu9111211  
  10. Hill, Aileen et al. “Perioperative Vitamin C and E levels in Cardiac Surgery Patients and Their Clinical Significance.” Nutrients vol. 11,9 2157. 9 Sep. 2019, doi:10.3390/nu11092157  
  11. Khooshideh, Maryam et al. “Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields for Postsurgical Pain Management in Women Undergoing Cesarean Section: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Trial.” The Clinical journal of pain vol. 33,2 (2017): 142-147. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000376  
  12. Sorrell, Robert Gordon et al. “Evaluation of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy for the treatment of chronic postoperative pain following lumbar surgery: a pilot, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial.” Journal of pain research vol. 11 1209-1222. 22 Jun. 2018, doi:10.2147/JPR.S164303  
  13. Rohde, Christine et al. “Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on interleukin-1 beta and postoperative pain: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study in breast reduction patients.” Plastic and reconstructive surgery vol. 125,6 (2010): 1620-1629. doi:10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181c9f6d3  
  14. Hsu, YH., Chen, YW., Cheng, CY. et al. Detecting the limits of the biological effects of far-infrared radiation on epithelial cells. Sci Rep 9, 11586 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48187-0  
  15. Hsu, Yung-Ho et al. “Far infrared promotes wound healing through activation of Notch1 signaling.” Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany) vol. 95,11 (2017): 1203-1213. doi:10.1007/s00109-017-1580-y