What Researchers Did
Doctors reviewed the medical records of patients with hard-to-heal wounds who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) along with standard wound care.
What They Found
This was a retrospective review of 29 patients with chronic wounds from various causes, treated with HBOT at 2.8 atmospheres of absolute pressure for 60 minutes per session using 100% oxygen. The wound response was rated "excellent" in 6 patients, "good" in 8, "fair" in 11, and "poor" in 4. All 4 patients with a "poor" response had diabetes and were undergoing hemodialysis. The wound causes included diabetes (13 patients), venous stasis (10), and several rarer conditions in the remaining patients.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadians with chronic wounds from diabetes, venous stasis, or other causes, this study suggests outcomes with HBOT added to standard wound care vary widely, from major improvement to no meaningful benefit. Patients with diabetes who are also on hemodialysis appeared to respond poorly in this group, which may be relevant for similar patients considering HBOT. Because this was a records review without a comparison group, it cannot show how these patients would have done with standard wound care alone.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This was a small, single-center, retrospective review of 29 patients with no control group, so it cannot prove that HBOT caused the wound improvements seen.