Diabetic foot ulcers are associated with high risk of amputation. About 50% of patients
undergoing non-traumatic lower limb amputations are diabetics5. The 5-year amputation rate is
estimated to be 19% with a mean time to amputation 58 months since the onset of an diabetic
foot ulcer6.Because infection and tissue hypoxia are the major contributing factors for
non-healing diabetic foot ulcers, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) carries a potential benefit
for treating these problematic wounds that do not respond to standard therapy.

The role of oxygen in the wound healing cascade and subsequent combatting action against
bacterial invasion, especially anaerobes, is well documented.14 Delayed or arrested healing
and the development of infection is a direct result from decreased perfusion and poor
oxygenation of tissue.15 The presence of wound hypoxia is an major etiological pathway in the
development of chronic non-healing diabetic foot ulcers