HBOT in the acute stage
A number of studies have investigated the use of HBOT at the acute treatment stage after severe brain injury, as an addition to the normal intensive care regimen. A Cochrane systematic review, updated in 2012, evaluated the results of seven studies into this use.
The results appeared to show a reduction in the proportion of people experiencing an unfavourable outcome after one month, and that the Glasgow Coma Score may be improved. Furthermore, patients who received early treatment with HBOT showed a significant reduction in the risk of death.
However, the studies failed to show any evidence of an improvement in long-term outcomes and the review expressed ethical concerns over the possibility that HBOT may save a person's life 'only to leave them in a vegetative state'. Additionally, the review highlights the potential risks of hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which include damage to the ears, sinuses and lungs from the effects of pressure, and possible oxygen poisoning.
Due to the small scale of some of these studies, results should be treated with caution although they do indicate that this is a promising area for future, larger scale study.
At present there is not enough evidence to support the routine use of HBOT in acute stage treatment.
Reference
Bennett MH, Trytko B, Jonker B. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the adjunctive treatment of traumatic brain injury. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. December 2012. 12;12:CD004609.
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