What Researchers Did
Eighty-two elderly subjects with significant cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to receive hyperbaric oxygen, hyperbaric air, normobaric oxygen, or normobaric air for 15 days.
What They Found
Immediately after treatment and at one, two, three, and eight weeks following treatment, subjects showed no enhanced cognitive functioning or significantly greater symptom reduction in those receiving normobaric or hyperbaric oxygen compared to controls. There was also no evidence of differential treatment effects based on initial illness severity, sex, CO2 loading test response, or presumed cerebrovascular disease.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients with cognitive impairment should not expect improvements from hyperbaric or normobaric oxygen therapy based on this study. Current evidence suggests these oxygen therapies are not effective for treating cognitive decline in the elderly.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and does not have a direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
This study's findings are based on a specific elderly population from 1978, which may limit generalizability to current patient populations or different treatment protocols.