What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy following mid-cervical spinal cord injury in rats could preserve diaphragm muscle function and reduce oxidative damage.
What They Found
They found that spinal cord injury significantly reduced diaphragm muscle-specific force production and fiber cross-sectional area, associated with augmented mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide emission. In contrast, rats receiving 10 consecutive days of hyperbaric oxygen (1 hour of 100% oxygen at 3 atmospheres absolute daily) demonstrated improved diaphragm-specific force production, attenuated fiber atrophy, and reduced mitochondrial dysfunction.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is that findings from rat models may not directly translate to human patients.