What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjunct treatment for nonhealing venous leg ulcers.
What They Found
Out of 74 enrolled patients with nonhealing venous leg ulcers, 31 were randomised to receive either 30 hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatments or 30 placebo treatments. At 12 weeks, there was no significant difference between the HBOT and placebo groups in the number of completely healed ulcers.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with nonhealing venous leg ulcers, this study suggests that adding hyperbaric oxygen therapy to standard care may not improve ulcer healing rates. Patients should continue to rely on established evidence-based treatments for managing their chronic venous leg ulcers.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and does not have a direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
The small number of participants (n=31) randomised to the intervention phase limits the generalizability and statistical power of the findings.