What Researchers Did
Researchers followed children born to French mothers who received hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for carbon monoxide poisoning during pregnancy, tracking their health and development for up to 25 years.
What They Found
This prospective single-center cohort study of 412 children born to 406 women treated with HBO for CO poisoning during pregnancy found no significant difference in psychomotor development or growth (height and weight) compared to a matched group of unexposed children (p greater than 0.05 for both). Follow-up numbers declined over time: 388 children were assessed at day 8, 276 at year 2, and 232 at year 6, with 60 not yet old enough for the 6-year assessment. No malformations were reported among the children studied. The study authors state these findings support the use of HBO therapy in this setting and conclude that no specific follow-up is needed for children with normal neonatal status.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For pregnant patients treated with HBO for CO poisoning, this study offers reassurance: children born after maternal HBO treatment showed development and growth similar to children never exposed to CO poisoning. The abstract does not report outcomes for CO-poisoned pregnancies that went untreated, so it cannot show how much of this result is due to the HBO therapy itself versus other factors.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified. This study was conducted in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.
Study Limitations
This is an observational cohort study with no untreated CO-poisoned comparison group, and the number of children assessed dropped substantially at later follow-ups, which may introduce bias from loss to follow-up.