What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a retrospective study of 55 brain abscess patients at an Austrian university hospital, comparing 25 who received adjunctive HBOT alongside standard antibiotics and surgery versus 30 who received standard therapy alone.
What They Found
At 6 months, 80% of HBOT patients had complete imaging resolution versus 46.7% of controls (p=0.009). At 12 months, 60% of HBOT patients were symptom-free versus 30% of controls (p=0.046). Mortality at 12 months was 12% in the HBOT group versus 20% in controls. No HBOT-related adverse events occurred.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This is a retrospective study from a single center; patients were not randomised, so HBOT recipients may have been selected based on factors that independently affected their outcomes.