What Researchers Did
This retrospective study used the National Burn Repository to identify hospital admissions of patients with both cutaneous burn and inhalation injuries and determine if hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) influenced mortality.
What They Found
Out of 13,044 patients with burns and inhalation injury, only 67 received hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. Patients treated with HBO had a significantly higher mortality rate (29.9% vs 17.5%, P = .01). Multivariate regression analysis showed HBO was an independent predictor of mortality (odds ratio = 2.484, P = .004).
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients with burns and inhalation injury should be aware that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was associated with increased mortality in this study. This suggests that current evidence does not support the routine use of hyperbaric oxygen for this patient population.
Canadian Relevance
This study was conducted using the US National Burn Repository and has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective study, it cannot establish causation, and the very small number of patients receiving HBO therapy limits the generalizability of the findings.