What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed records of 25 patients with blunt chest trauma (many from the 2023 Turkey earthquake) who received HBOT at 2.4 ATA for 2 hours per session to evaluate whether the treatment was safe for people with thoracic injuries.
What They Found
Five patients (20%) developed respiratory or cardiac symptoms during treatment, including one seizure from oxygen toxicity and one case of pneumomediastinum. Three patients (12%) died from severe crush injuries unrelated to HBOT. Most complications were minor and manageable; no permanent harm from HBOT itself was documented.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadians who sustain chest injuries from accidents, falls, or crush events, this study suggests HBOT can be given safely with careful screening and monitoring, but requires a multidisciplinary team. Canadian trauma centers considering HBOT for chest injury patients should have protocols for managing oxygen toxicity and cardiac monitoring in place.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
With only 25 patients from a specialized trauma setting, the complication rate estimates are imprecise and may not apply to less severely injured patients.