What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed existing studies to see whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves survival in people with necrotizing soft tissue infection, a rare and serious flesh-destroying infection.
What They Found
This systematic review of 21 studies on hyperbaric oxygen therapy and necrotizing soft tissue infection found a generally positive but highly uncertain link between the therapy and lower mortality. Researchers screened 1733 studies and included 21, of which 19 were case series with a control group. Most of the included studies scored poorly on quality assessment and all had a high to critical risk of bias. The authors state that although the association with mortality was generally reported as positive, this result should be viewed with great skepticism.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
Nearly all included studies were case series rated as poor quality with a high to critical risk of bias, so the reported association between hyperbaric oxygen therapy and mortality cannot be considered reliable evidence.