Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps the damaged brain

This study looked at physiological changes that occurred in the brain with the application of hyperbaric therapy following traumatic brain injury. They noticed an improvement in the blood-brain barrier, a reduction in inflammation and inflammatory proteins, a reduction in both swelling and the size of the damage, and more importantly an improvement in neurological status including motor and cognitive function <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: A new look on treating stroke and traumatic brain injury

“This study demonstrated the ability of HBOT preconditioning as a treatment for inflammation in stroke and TBI, and reducing neuronal cell death”

Hyperbaric Oxygen shows benefits for TBI victims, even up to 5 years after the event

This was one of the first trials that produced sound research to support the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for TBI sufferers. Much more importantly, they were able to demonstrate positive outcomes with this procedure, even 5 years after the accidents or traumas. The protocol used was a lower dose of only 1.5 ATA, but was repeated 5 days per week for a total of 8 weeks (40 hour protocol). Due to the late onset of the 40 hour hyperbaric protocol, researchers were able to conclude that “HBOT can induce neuroplasticity (new brain tissue) leading to repair of chronically impaired brain functions and improved quality of life in mTBI patients with prolonged PCS at late chronic stage” <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen helps to Protect the Brain following Brain Trauma (TBI)

Researchers Concluded: “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy protects the neurons after traumatic injury, possibly through inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway” <view study>

Low Pressure Hyperbarics improves cerebral blood flow in Firefighters with mild TBI and emotional distress

Twenty firefighters with mTBI and mild emotional distress were treated with HBO at a relatively low pressure of 1.3 atmospheres absolute for 45 min a day for 20 consecutive days. The goal of the study was to evaluate the subsequent changes in the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of the limbic system in these firefighters.

The results showed an increase in rCBF in the hippocampal and parahippocampal regions of the brain. This may explain the recent evidence that suggests the ability of HBOT to help neural activities in the human brain and subsequently improve symptoms of psychiatric disorders <view study>

Treating Severe Traumatic Brain Injury using the combination of Neurofeedback and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Most people who have had a significant brain injury will require extensive rehabilitation. They may need to relearn basic skills, such as walking or talking. The goal is to improve their abilities to perform daily activities.

In this case study, a 26-year-old male suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a motor vehicle accident. He was discharged after 8 months and left with significant speech, ambulation, spasticity, and cognitive issues as well as the onset of post-traumatic epilepsy.

The family decided to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and the combination of Neurofeedback (NFB) with HBOT “improved plasticity and functionality in the areas of injury and the correlated symptoms including short-term memory, personality, language, and executive function, as well as significantly reducing the incidence of seizures”

These results suggest that HBOT combined with NFB may be a viable option in treating severe brain injuries and should be investigated <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen: A Safe & Successful Treatment for Retinal Artery Occlusion

5 patients were followed after receiving HBOT for Retinal Artery Occlusion. All patients improved and there were no complications to the treatment <view study>

Mild hyperbaric therapy delays diabetes-induced cataracts

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is widely used for a variety of diabetes-induced conditions, particularly, but not limited, to wound healing. Its effects on diabetes-induced cataracts is still unclear. A study published in late 2001 in the Journal of Diabetes has given some new insights. They used lower pressures (1.25 ATA) and found that this dosage was able to delay both the development and the progression of diabetes-induced cataracts. <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 therapy reverses vision loss

A 26 year old male presented with sudden vision loss. After just 2 weeks of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, his visual acuity returned to normal <view study>

The effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic foot ulcers treated with a 30 session course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (2.5 ATA per 90 minute session, 5 days per week) showed improvements in diabetic retinopathy lesions and a along with reductions in central macular thickness (CMT). <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy helps improve mumps virus-induced Retinitis

This case report of a 4 year old boy demonstrated both improvement and recovery in vision after being diagnosed with mumps-induced retinits <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for diabetic wounds

Impaired blood flow is one of the hallmarks of diabetes, leading to many severe complications, including but not limited to ulcers and open wounds. When high blood sugar is also involved in the wound process, as is the case with many diabetics, then hyperbaric oxygen should be immediately looked at and deployed <view study>

Chronic wounds require a minimum of 20 hours of HBOT

A very common question is “How many hyperbaric sessions are needed?” In terms of chronic wounds, the answer normally will be “more than 20 hours”, and this study supports this answer <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for spider bites and non-healing wounds

Brown spider bites can present with major ramifications and hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used as one of the therapeutic interventions for this condition. The problem with its use is that HBOT is normally only deployed 2 to 6 days following the bite, due to the extensive time involved in diagnosing many of these bites. This study follows 3 patients that were treated with HBOT on average of 2 to 3 months following a spider bite. The wounds of all 3 patients healed, causing the researchers to view HBOT as a valuable tool for non-healing wounds from spider bites, and can be successfully used even after many months have elapsed <view study>

Combining Hyperbaric oxygen therapy with PRP for diabetic wounds

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and PRP are both gaining popularity in sports medicine and rehabilitation therapies and many clinics are combining both procedures to effectively enhance their therapeutic results. This recent study documented their combined benefits for diabetic wounds. In this study, the combination of both procedures produced a significant reduction in active ulcers. Moreover, they also they also produced a large reduction in the wound area <view study>

A case report demonstrating the powerful effects of Hyperbaric oxygen

A 74 year old female was treated for breast cancer with radiation therapy. 13 years later, she noticed a small ulcer, and in another 12 years, she was diagnosed with late onset radiation-induced skin ulcer (a total of 25 years) and prescribed hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). After 1 year and 100 HBOT sessions, she made a full recovery! <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen effectively used in a multi-disciplinary approach for electric burn victim

Hyperbaric oxygen chambers are typically used in hospitals and wound care centers at higher pressures for treatment of burn victims. In this report, a hospital in Argentina used a multi-disciplinary approach in treating a 17 year old with an electric hand injury. The hospital used a lower pressure protocol at 1.45 ATA in combination with PRP and skin graft. This multi-therapeutic approach showed quick and effective recovery for the young girl <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen increases new blood vessels towards traumatic tissue

Following spinal cord injuries, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to produce a positive effect on healing, but it still remains unclear of the main mechanisms of action. This study followed spinal cord injuries treated with HBOT and demonstrated that this group had higher and longer expressions of VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor), which is responsible for the growth of new blood vessels. This follows many other studies and citations, particularly with non-healing wounds, where HBOT facilitates the body to produce more blood vessels to damaged tissue, for long terms benefits <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may alleviate long-term spinal cord damage

Long-term disabilities from spinal cord injuries are linked with the extent of secondary injury from the inflammation that immediately follows the injury. This natural body body response of inflammation, limits the amount of blood and oxygen getting to the area, and thus poses greater problem. Hyperbaric oxygen has been used as an off-label treatment for spinal cord injuries for many years now, with many positive reports by both patients and treating physicians. This study showed that applying hyperbaric therapy may reduce secondary damage by reducing the inflammatory factors produced by the body. This gives good rationale for using HBOT following spinal cord injuries, not only to reduce secondary damage due to inflammation, but for also getting extra oxygen into the area and promote further repair, while not losing functional capacity <view study>