What Researchers Did
A retrospective chart review compared hearing outcomes in 465 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss who received pharmacologic treatment alone versus those who also received hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
What They Found
For patients with initial hearing loss greater than 90 dBHL, adding hyperbaric oxygen to steroid-dextran treatment resulted in a significant hearing gain of 24.5 ± 2.7 dB (P = 0.030). This was greater than the 12.9 ± 3.7 dB gain with steroids only or 15.6 ± 2.7 dB with steroid-dextran alone in this subgroup.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients experiencing profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss might benefit more from a treatment regimen that includes hyperbaric oxygen therapy in addition to standard pharmacologic agents. This could potentially lead to greater hearing recovery compared to pharmacologic treatment alone.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada or with Canadian participants.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective chart review, this study is limited by its observational nature and potential for confounding factors.