What Researchers Did
Vietnamese researchers conducted a case-control study of 89 cellulitis patients, comparing 48 who received HBOT plus antibiotics and wound care against 41 who received antibiotics and wound care alone.
What They Found
Patients in the HBOT group had significantly lower pain scores at every time point (day 1: 4.34 vs. 5.78; day 2: 2.46 vs. 4.17; day 3: 1.28 vs. 3.35 on the VAS scale). Swelling resolved faster and the infected area shrank more quickly in the HBOT group. Average hospital stay was 8.33 days in the HBOT group versus 13.17 days in the control group, a difference of nearly 5 days.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadians hospitalized with cellulitis, a common and sometimes serious bacterial skin infection, adding HBOT to standard antibiotic treatment may reduce pain faster and cut hospital time by nearly 5 days. Shorter hospital stays have significant benefits for both patients and a healthcare system under capacity pressure.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified. Cellulitis is not currently a listed OHIP-covered HBOT indication.
Study Limitations
This was a non-randomized case-control study from a single military maritime medicine institute in Vietnam, and the patient population and healthcare context may not translate directly to Canadian settings.