What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed the charts of five mucormycosis patients treated with amphotericin B, surgical debridement, and adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy at a single institution.
What They Found
Among the five patients with mucormycosis, 60% (3 out of 5) survived three months after diagnosis.
Four patients had craniofacial involvement, and predisposing conditions included leukemia (n=3), diabetes mellitus with sarcoidosis (n=1), and trauma (n=1).
A review of the limited literature also suggested a potential benefit for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with mucormycosis, adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be a potential treatment option alongside standard antifungal and surgical care.
However, due to limited clinical experience, it is not yet considered a standard of care and requires further research.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted at a single institution outside of Canada.
Study Limitations
The main limitation of this study is its small sample size of five patients and its retrospective chart review design, which limits generalizability.