What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a longitudinal follow-up study to evaluate the long-term clinical symptoms of veterans with treatment-resistant PTSD who had previously undergone hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
What They Found
Among 22 participating veterans, the mean CAPS-5 score was significantly lower at long-term follow-up (26.6) compared to pre-HBOT evaluation (47.5, P < .001), approximately 704 days post-treatment. This long-term score was not statistically different from the short-term evaluation (28.6), though the CAPS-5 subcategory D for cognition and mood symptoms showed significant improvement from short-term (10.0) to long-term (7.6, P < .001).
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada, nor did it involve Canadian participants or researchers.
Study Limitations
A key limitation is the small sample size of 22 participants and the potential for selection bias due to participant attrition from the original study.