What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study over a 5-year period at a major tertiary hospital to analyze the association between various factors, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and survival outcomes in 44 patients with necrotizing soft tissue infection.
What They Found
Out of 44 patients, 6 (14%) died, and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy was strongly associated with increased survival (P = .02), showing an odds ratio of 8.9. HBO2 therapy also significantly reduced the incidence of amputation for extremity NSTI (P = .05) and improved long-term survival (P = .002).
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted in a major tertiary hospital outside of Canada.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective cohort study conducted at a single tertiary hospital with a relatively small sample size of 44 patients, the findings may not be broadly generalizable.