Dried salted plum consumption ameliorates hyperbaric oxygen therapy-induced otalgia severity at the first chamber session: a prospective randomized controlled study.

What Researchers Did

Researchers conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial involving 90 patients to assess if consuming a dried salted plum during hyperbaric oxygen therapy could reduce middle ear barotrauma and otalgia.

What They Found

Among 90 patients, dried salted plum consumption did not significantly reduce the overall incidence of middle ear barotrauma (39.6% vs 37.8% in controls). However, otalgia was present in 5.7% of the plum group compared to 18.9% of controls. Notably, no patients consuming a dried salted plum had a Visual Analog Scale score ≥4 for otalgia versus 10.8% for the control group (P=.026).

What This Means for Canadian Patients

Canadian patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy might consider consuming dried salted plums to potentially reduce the severity of ear pain. This simple dietary intervention could offer a non-pharmacological option for managing discomfort during treatment.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection or involvement.

Study Limitations

The study's generalizability may be limited by its single-center design and the relatively small sample size for some outcomes.