What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated the effect of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) on central hemodynamics in 32 patients with ischaemic stroke, using tetrapolar rheography before, during, and after HBO sessions.
What They Found
Initial hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) sessions caused a general vasoconstricting effect and decreased cardiac output in most patients, though subsequent sessions normalized initially abnormal hemodynamics. HBO sessions generally did not alter arterial pressure, except for a mild elevation in systolic and mean pressure in patients with vertebrobasilar pathology. Hyperbaric oxygen also reduced the rate of cardiac contractions by 9%, regardless of the initial pulse rate.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted outside of Canada.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size of 32 patients, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.