What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a retrospective study on 19 patients with iatrogenic spinal infections between 2008 and 2013 to evaluate the effectiveness of adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy when antibiotic treatment alone was insufficient.
What They Found
The mean age of patients was 54.6 years, with infections most common in the lumbar region, occurring after spine instrumentation in 12 cases and micro-discectomy in 7 cases. Patients received an average of 20.1 HBO therapy sessions, leading to recovery of wound discharge and clinical and laboratory findings in all 19 cases, with no revision or removal of instrumentation necessary in the instrumented cases.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients experiencing iatrogenic spinal infections resistant to standard antibiotic therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may offer a valuable adjunctive treatment option. This approach could potentially lead to complete recovery of clinical and laboratory findings, possibly preventing the need for additional surgical interventions or removal of spinal instrumentation.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada, nor does it involve Canadian researchers or patients.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective study with a small sample size of 19 cases and no control group, the findings may be subject to selection bias and lack generalizability.