Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for wound complications after surgery in the irradiated head and neck: a review of the literature and a report of 15 consecutive patients.

What Researchers Did

Researchers retrospectively studied 15 patients with non-healing wounds after head and neck surgery in irradiated areas, comparing those treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) to a reference group without HBO.

What They Found

In the hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) group, 12 of 15 patients (80%) achieved complete wound healing, with 2 healing partially and 1 not healing at all. In contrast, only 7 of 15 patients (47%) in the reference group healed without surgical intervention, and 2 experienced severe postoperative hemorrhage, one of which was fatal.

What This Means for Canadian Patients

Canadian patients undergoing surgery in previously irradiated head and neck regions who experience non-healing wounds might benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This treatment could potentially reduce complications and improve recovery outcomes for these complex cases.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada, nor did it involve Canadian participants or institutions.

Study Limitations

As a retrospective study with a small sample size, these findings may be subject to selection bias and lack the robust evidence of a randomized controlled trial.