Jay Lenois undergoing “very aggressive” hyperbaric oxygen therapy after agasoline fireleft him with “significant"second- and third-degree burnson his face, chest and hand, according to his doctor.
Dr. Peter Grossman — medical director at the Grossman Burn Center who is treating Leno — announced Wednesday during a press conference that the formerTonight Showhost, 72, is going through several sessions of the specialized treatment due to some of his burns being “a little deeper and a little more concerning.”
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Here’s what to know about the pressurized machines.
There are typically two types of hyperbaric oxygen chambers, a monoplace chamber and multiplace chamber.
A monoplace chamber is designed for one patient to lie down on a table that slides into a clear plastic unit that looks similar to an MRI machine. A multiplace chamber is designed similar to a hospital room that can accommodate several people at once, where patients are receiving oxygen through masks or hoods.
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Human body tissue needs oxygen to function, and the air we breathe is 21% oxygen. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers create an environment where patients can breathe 100% oxygen, according to theFDA. Once a patient is in the chamber, the air pressure in the unit is raised to a level about 2 or 3 times higher than normal, which helps the lungs collect more oxygen.
During the treatment, the increased air pressure can cause a patient’s ears to feel full, similar to when in an airplane or the mountains.
“[The hyperbaric oxygen chamber] helps the healing process, helps stimulate new blood vessel growth in areas that have been traumatized, it decreases the bacteria that normally surrounds the wound and it also decreases the pressure and the swelling inside the tissue,” Grossman explained during the news briefing.
“Burns are progressive,” he added. “By getting a patient into a hyperbaric oxygen tank early, you can hopefully minimize that progression from a second-degree burn to a third-degree burn and hopefully improve the outcome. And so, we’ve been very aggressive with hyperbaric oxygen treatment with Mr. Leno.”
Sessions can last from 45 minutes up to 300 minutes, depending on the injury, and multiple sessions are typically needed, per the FDA.
source: people.com
