Hajhosseini B, Kuehlmann BA, Bonham CA, Kamperman KJ, Gurtner GC, et al.
Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open. Date of publication 2020 Sep 25;volume 8(9):e3136.
1. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020 Sep 25;8(9):e3136. doi:
10.1097/GOX.0000000000003136. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Descriptive Review of the Technology and Current
Application in Chronic Wounds.
Hajhosseini B(1)(2), Kuehlmann BA(1)(3), Bonham CA(1), Kamperman KJ(1), Gurtner
GC(1)(2).
Author information:
(1)Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford
University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.
(2)Advanced Wound Care Center, Stanford University Medical Center, Redwood City,
Calif.
(3)University Center for Plastic, Reconstructive, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery,
University Hospital Regensburg and Caritas Hospital St. Josef, Regensburg,
Germany.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) serves as "primary" or "adjunctive" therapy in
a wide range of pathologies. It is considered the mainstay of management for
potentially life-threatening conditions such as carbon monoxide poisoning,
decompression illness, and gas embolisms. Moreover, HBOT has been utilized for
decades as an adjunctive therapy in a variety of medical disciplines, including
chronic wounds, which affect approximately 6.5 million Americans annually. In
general, chronic wounds are characterized by hypoxia, impaired angiogenesis, and
prolonged inflammation, all of which may theoretically be ameliorated by HBOT.
Nonetheless, the cellular, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms by which
HBOT achieves beneficial results in chronic wounds are not fully understood, and
there remains significant skepticism regarding its efficacy. This review article
provides a comprehensive overview of HBOT, and discusses its history, mechanisms
of action, and its implications in management of chronic wounds. In particular,
we discuss the current evidence regarding the use of HBOT in diabetic foot
ulcers, while digging deeply into the roots of controversy surrounding its
efficacy. We discuss how the paucity of high-quality research is a tremendous
challenge, and offer future direction to address existing obstacles.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf
of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000003136
PMCID: PMC7544320
PMID: 33133975
Conflict of interest statement: Disclosure: The authors have no financial
interest to declare in relation to the content of this article.
