What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a systematic review of 12 randomized trials published through 2014 to assess the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO2) for traumatic brain injury (TBI).
What They Found
For mild TBI, studies showed no statistically significant difference between HBO2 and sham treatments, though both groups improved over time. For moderate-to-severe TBI, studies were of mixed quality, but the majority of results favored HBO2 compared to standard care.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients with mild traumatic brain injury are unlikely to benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy, as it showed no advantage over sham treatment. For those with moderate-to-severe TBI, HBO2 might be considered a relatively safe additional therapy, though more robust research is needed.
Canadian Relevance
This systematic review did not include any specific Canadian data or studies.
Study Limitations
Limitations included mixed methodological quality and flawed designs in some moderate-to-severe TBI studies, and a lack of detail in placebo analyses.