HBOT for Brain Tumors

A new study just published on Feb 2011 in the journal of cancer makes a strong argument for applying hyperbaric oxygenation therapy (HBOT) for those patients who have had either surgery or radiation therapy for brain tumors. The study followed patients who had been treated with HBOT and there was a marked improvement in cognitive function which was supported and documented by standard neuropsychological testing <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy may speed up recovery from muscle injury

Only 3 Sessions of Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was shown to play a positive role in the recovery of muscle injury in rats. This should hopefully lead the way to many more studies to determine its effectiveness for speeding up recovery from injured muscles and tissue <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can Improve Surgical Procedures

Ever wonder why some people recover well from surgery and others can have long term implications including infections and even amputations. It is now clear that hypoxia (low oxygen levels) clearly effects the response and recovery following surgery. Local hypoxic conditions account for longer time for healing and greater susceptibility for infections. Treatments with hyperbaric oxygen therapy can reduce the hypoxia in the body and have a substantial effect on reducing negative clinical outcomes, along with shortening the healing time, and reducing chances of infection. Many plastic surgeons are now recognizing the benefits of HBOT in their discipline and referring for HBOT post-op. This is making for better and safer surgical procedures, along with less down time and hospitalization <view study>

An interesting case of dementia

A 77 year old male went in for a routine knee replacement surgery. Following this procedure, he began to decline in both his physical and mental capacities. The symptoms got progressively worse and about 4 years later, he was evaluated and given a brain imaging (SPECT) scan, and he was immediately given a diagnosis of dementia with major cognitive deficits and aphasia (the loss of ability to understand or express speech). It was determined that the cause of his dementia was a post-op complication from his previous knee surgery and began a course of 40 sessions inside of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. After 5 months, both his physical and cognitive functions were substantially restored. The follow up brain imaging scan confirmed these results. Complications from major (and even minor) operations are not uncommon and sometimes not even diagnosed at the time, and in cases like this, 4 or 5 years after the surgical procedure. This study brings to light the benefits that can be achieved with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, even years after the surgery. <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Speeds up Recovery Following Plastic Surgery Procedure

Deep chemical peels are commonly used by plastic surgeons to help with severely sun-damaged skin, coarse wrinkles, scars, and even pre-cancerous growths. The procedure uses a chemical, Phenol, that removes the top layer of skin, causing smoother and younger-looking skin to grow back. Phenol is the most aggressive type of skin peel but can produce more dramatic results. The downside is that it involves longer recovery times. This is where hyperbaric oxygen comes into the picture. Hyperbaric therapy helps to speed up healing. In this study, patients undergoing phenol chemical peel (PCP) were divided into 2 groups. The first group had PCP only and the second group had 5 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy following PCP. The Results: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy following PCP was associated with faster recovery as assessed by both patients and caregivers <view study>

Defining the Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as an Adjunct to Reconstructive Surgery

The benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy during reconstructive surgery has been confirmed both clinically, and through experimental data, but still widely underutilized by plastic surgeons. This review study details the benefits and role that hyperbaric oxygen plays within the discipline of plastic and reconstructive surgery. <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves surgical outcome

Promising clinical studies have emerged suggesting HBOT’s efficacy for reducing postoperative complications.

This RCT (randomized controlled trials) review of literature supports the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy peri-operatively, and gives value for this procedure to be a “promising intervention to improve surgical patient outcome”. <view study>

60 year old female makes full recovery from Facial filler infection complication — Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

With the increasing popularity of facial filler injections, growing numbers of complications have been reported.

This is a case of a 60-year-old female with vision changes and keratitis following hyaluronic acid (HA) facial filler injections.

She underwent a total of only 9 hyperbaric (90 minute) sessions. She stated that her vision began to improve within 20 minutes of the first session and she completely recovered following her 10 day hyperbaric protocol” <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy combined with Hair transplantation surgery for the treatment of alopecia

Hair transplantation patients who were treated with a 7 day course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) at 2.0 ATA (60 minute sessions) were able to minimize the post-surgical follicle shedding. This, in turn, lead to less folliculitis and itching, which provides evidence for HBOT to act as an adjuvant therapy for hair transplantation surgery. <view study>

Lower-pressure Hyperbaric therapy helps improve post-op healing

This animal study used hyperbaric oxygen at 1.5 ATA as a supportive therapy following surgery. They gave 5 daily sessions following the surgical procedure. The post-operative results in this hyperbaric group showed an improvement in the wound healing with quicker healing time, fewer complications, and earlier skin suture removal <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a potentially effective treatment for MCL healing

“Purpose:” This study investigated hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) to determine their combined effects on fibroblasts from rabbit medial collateral ligament (MCL).

Conclusion: HBO2 or HBO2 plus PDGF-bb treatment decreases the Type III collagen/Type I collagen content, which could result in mechanically stronger collagen fibrils. We propose HBO2 therapy as a potentially effective treatment for MCL healing.” <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen protects the brain and the heart — a necessity for today’s society

With the growing incidence of strokes and heart attacks, medical disabilities for these, and other age-related conditions, are on the rise. Preconditioning the body and its vital organs may be of critical importance for today’s aging and disease-ridden society.

This new study looked at preconditioning the brain with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and showed that it reduced postoperative cognitive dysfunction. More specifically, they reported, “Hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning has proved to protect vital organs, such as the heart, liver, and brain. … We conclude that hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning is an effective and feasible method to prevent, alleviate, and improve postoperative cognitive dysfunction and that its mechanism of action is very complex, involving the stimulation of endogenous antioxidant and anti-inflammation defense systems.” <view study>

Plastic Surgery gone wrong — Hyperbaric oxygen to the rescue!

Cosmetic treatments like facial fillers are gaining popularity, but not without risks. One of the more serious complications following this cosmetic procedure is blindness. A case report was presented where HBOT was applied for 14 days, causing visual acuity to return back to normal. The clinical implications of this study are massive for certain groups of individuals who are at greater risk for blindness following facial fillers <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen speeds up fracture healing

This study demonstrates the advantages of utilizing hyperbaric oxygen therapy following fracture injuries. The authors used a 6 week hyperbaric intensive protocol consisting of 30 sessions at 2.0 ATA. The outcome showed showed accelerated fracture healing with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In addition, there was a higher amount of type 1 collagen tissue, leading to stronger healing of the fracture <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy initiates Bone Healing

This study clearly demonstrated that it only took 5 days to significantly enhance bone growth, reduce inflammation, and accelerate bone healing, with positive results in bone new bone formation <view study>

Regenerative effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy with PRP — Knee Cartilage

The results of this study showed a synergistic effect of HBO and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) on knee cartilage regeneration.

“The aggregation and activation of growth factors released from platelets whose activation is increased in the hyperbaric environment may explain this synergistic effect. This may result in a better regeneration than the effect of PRP or HBO alone” <view study>