What Researchers Did
Clinicians reported a case of a patient with prolonged consciousness disorder from hypoglycaemic encephalopathy caused by an insulin-secreting pancreatic tumor, who remained unresponsive for 90 days before beginning HBOT.
What They Found
The patient showed recovery of consciousness temporally associated with initiation of HBOT, despite the disorder persisting far longer than the previously reported maximum recovery time of 14 days. All standard treatments including blood sugar correction had been attempted without improvement prior to HBOT.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This case suggests HBOT may be worth considering for patients with hypoglycaemic brain injury who remain unconscious despite corrected blood sugar levels. For Canadian patients with persistent altered consciousness after severe hypoglycaemia, a hyperbaric consultation may be warranted even in what appears to be a hopeless situation.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This is a single case report; spontaneous recovery cannot be fully ruled out, and temporal association with HBOT does not prove causation.