What Researchers Did
Researchers compared 21 patients with severe diabetic foot ulcers who received standard wound care plus HBOT and a topical hemoglobin oxygen spray against 21 patients who received standard wound care only.
What They Found
After 16 weeks, 85.7% of wounds in the combined oxygen group healed completely, compared to only 52.4% in the standard care group, a statistically significant difference (p=0.02). Both groups had similar wound severity at the start, making the comparison fair.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadians with hard-to-heal diabetic foot ulcers at risk of amputation, combining HBOT with topical oxygen therapy may nearly double the chance of full wound closure within four months. This could help prevent some of the roughly 3,000 diabetes-related amputations that occur in Canada each year.
Canadian Relevance
Diabetic foot ulcers are an OHIP-covered indication for HBOT in Ontario. Canadian patients with qualifying wounds may be eligible for covered treatment through an approved hyperbaric facility.
Study Limitations
The study is small (42 patients total) and was conducted at a single Turkish centre, so the combination therapy with topical hemoglobin spray may not yet be available at Canadian facilities.