What Researchers Did
Researchers at a Brisbane hospital reviewed 479 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated with HBOT plus steroids, comparing outcomes between those who received exactly 10 HBOT sessions versus those who received more than 10.
What They Found
At 6 weeks post-treatment, 22% of patients recovered normal hearing and 69% gained at least 10 dB. Extending HBOT beyond 10 sessions offered no additional benefit: hearing gain after session 10 was nearly identical between groups (4.73 dB vs. 5.93 dB, p=0.53). Improvement continued after the last HBOT session regardless of total number of sessions received.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadians with sudden unexplained hearing loss, this study suggests that 10 HBOT sessions combined with steroids is an effective and sufficient treatment course. This is clinically important for Canadian patients where HBOT access involves travel or out-of-pocket cost, as a defined 10-session course optimizes benefit without additional burden.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This was a retrospective review from a single hospital; patients were not randomized to 10 vs. more sessions, and those receiving more sessions may have had more severe initial hearing loss.