What Researchers Did
Researchers measured wound healing in 142 patients with chronic leg ulcers (diabetic foot and chronic venous insufficiency) treated with 30 HBOT sessions at 2.5 ATA, using computerized planimetry and thermal imaging to track wound size over 3 years.
What They Found
Both patient groups showed significant reductions in wound surface area and perimeter after HBOT. Thermal imaging confirmed the planimetry findings, and wound temperature patterns showed improved circulation. The two measurement methods produced correlated but not identical area measurements.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Chronic leg ulcers are a major wound care burden in Canada. This study demonstrates that combining thermal imaging with planimetry provides complementary information about how wounds respond to HBOT -- a monitoring approach that Canadian hyperbaric wound care centers could adopt to track treatment progress more objectively.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This was an uncontrolled observational study with no comparison group; wound healing may have occurred naturally over the 30-session treatment course regardless of HBOT.