What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed medical records of patients with calciphylaxis, a rare and serious skin condition in people with kidney disease, who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) alongside their standard care.
What They Found
This retrospective case series followed 25 patients with calciphylaxis who received a combined total of 1,493 HBOT treatments (median 45 per patient, range 1 to 267) added to conventional care between 2012 and 2022. One year after diagnosis, 18 of the 25 patients were still alive, and 15 of those 18 had completely resolved wound lesions. Seven patients died within the first year, due to cardiovascular disease (3 patients), infection (3 patients), and cancer (1 patient).
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This was a retrospective, single-arm study with no untreated comparison group, so the specific contribution of HBOT to survival and wound healing cannot be separated from the other therapies patients received at the same time.