Effect of antiplatelet and/or anticoagulation medication on the risk of tympanic barotrauma in hyperbaric oxygen treatment patients, and development of a predictive model.

What Researchers Did

Researchers conducted a single-center retrospective observational study over four years to investigate the effect of antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant medications on the risk of middle ear barotrauma during hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

What They Found

The study found no evidence that antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs increased the risk of tympanic barotrauma in hyperbaric oxygen treatment patients. However, the prevalence of middle ear barotrauma was higher in female patients than in males (P = 0.004) and increased with age (P = 0.048).

Canadian Relevance

This study was not conducted in Canada and does not have direct Canadian relevance.

Study Limitations

A limitation of this single-center retrospective study is that its findings may not be generalizable to all patient populations, and the developed predictive model requires further validation.