What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed the outcomes of 22 patients who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy at a medical center between 1976 and 1979 for various conditions.
What They Found
Overall, 17 out of 22 patients (77%) benefited from hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This included both gas gangrene patients, four out of five osteomyelitis patients (80%), and 10 out of 13 soft tissue wound patients (77%) who experienced healing. One of two carbon monoxide poisoning patients also showed improvement.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This early case series suggests that hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be a beneficial treatment for serious conditions like gas gangrene and osteomyelitis, and for certain non-healing soft tissue wounds. Canadian patients suffering from these specific conditions, which are recognized indications for HBOT, might consider this therapy as a potential part of their care plan.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada nor by Canadian authors. However, it covers Health Canada-recognised indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, including carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene, and osteomyelitis.
Study Limitations
This study is a small case series without a control group, which limits the ability to draw broad conclusions about the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.