What Researchers Did
Doctors reported the case of a man in his 20s who developed severe tongue swelling after a gunshot wound to the mouth and was treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
What They Found
This case report describes a man in his 20s who required emergency intubation on postoperative day 1 after developing traumatic macroglossia following surgery to remove bullet fragments from a gunshot wound to the mouth. He underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions and was extubated on postoperative day 4. The report does not state when the HBOT sessions began relative to the intubation, and it does not compare his recovery to a typical or expected timeline. The authors state that HBOT may have utility in treating intubated patients with traumatic macroglossia to help expedite resolution of the swelling.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This is a single case report with no comparison group, so it cannot show that HBOT caused the resolution of the swelling or the timing of extubation.