What Researchers Did
Researchers treated 40 patients with chronic osteomyelitis using hyperbaric oxygen as an adjunct to surgical therapy and antibiotics, following them for an average of 2 years.
What They Found
They found a 15% recurrence rate among the 40 patients over an average follow-up of 2 years. The recurrence rate was primarily linked to inadequate surgical management, rather than the infection site or specific organism.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients suffering from refractory chronic osteomyelitis might consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjunct to standard surgical and medical management. This approach could potentially reduce recurrence and offer an alternative to ablative surgery in suitable cases.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection, as it was not conducted in Canada or with Canadian participants.
Study Limitations
A key limitation is that this is a preliminary report based on a relatively small cohort of 40 patients.