What Researchers Did
Researchers tested whether adding hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to standard care helps heal venous leg ulcers that had not responded to initial treatment.
What They Found
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found no significant difference between groups in the number of ulcers that healed completely, but the HBOT group showed significantly greater ulcer area reduction than the placebo group at 12 weeks. After 30 sessions at 2.4 ATA, the HBOT group had a mean Percent Area Reduction of 95% (SD 6.53) compared to 54% (SD 67.8) for the sham-treated placebo group (mean difference -40.8, p equals 0.042). The study authors concluded that HBOT may improve refractory healing in venous leg ulcers, but noted that patient selection is important.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadians with venous leg ulcers that have not healed despite standard wound care, this study suggests HBOT as an adjunct treatment may help reduce ulcer area, though it did not show a significant increase in the number of ulcers achieving complete healing. The authors' own caution about patient selection means this approach may not benefit everyone with a nonhealing ulcer.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
Only 31 of the original 74 enrolled participants were randomized into the intervention phase after excluding those who healed well with standard care alone, and the placebo group's results varied widely (SD 67.8), which limits how confidently the area-reduction finding can be generalized.