What Researchers Did
A clinical team at an Australian hospital described the governance, risk management, and operational steps they used to deliver 13 HBOT sessions to a critically ill patient on a venovenous ECMO machine, a first-of-its-kind procedure globally.
What They Found
Through a 32-hour approval process involving ethics review, legal consultation, clinical innovation committees, and executive sign-off, the team safely delivered all 13 HBOT sessions to a patient with severe fungal infection and no remaining treatment options. A validated ECMO device, purpose-built checklists, and dedicated staffing made the procedure feasible.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For critically ill Canadians on life support who may benefit from HBOT, this case provides the first documented framework for combining ECMO with hyperbaric treatment. Canadian hyperbaric centers attached to major hospitals could use this governance model to develop their own protocols for high-complexity combined procedures.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This is a single case report, the safety and feasibility findings cannot be generalized without larger studies.