Research & Guidance

Niu AKC, Yang C, et al.
J Hyper Med 1987;2:75-86.

Summary:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) has become common adjunctive treatment for burn patients in the Naval General Hospital at Tsoying.

In this study, 266 patients with total body surface area (TBSA) burns ranging from 7 to 90% (mean 34%) and ages ranging from 2 to 82 yr (mean 27 yr) were treated. When compared with 609 non-HBO-treated patients with TBSA burns ranging from 5 to 85% (mean 36%) and ages ranging from 7 mo. to 80 yr (mean 26 yr), the mortality rates were almost the same. In the HBO group there were 28 deaths (10.5%), and in the non-HBO group 79 deaths (13.0%)(P>0.05). The mortality HBO-treated, high risk patients with 35 to 75% TBSA, aged 15 to 45 yr, compared to non-HBO-treated cases, showed a statistically significant difference, 8 deaths in 117 cases in the HBO group (6.8%) vs. 25 deaths (14.8%) in 169 cases in the non-HBO group (P=0.028).

In addition, in burns treated with HBO, fluid resuscitation could be achieved more rapidly, nasogastric feeding could be initiated in the second 24 h or earlier, and there was an acceleration of reepithelization. The average number of hospital days in high-risk patients treated with HBO was less than that in the non-HBO-treated group (47 d vs. 59 d), but this was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Two cases treated with HBO who would not have been expected to survive are presented.

Click here to view the full study.