Effects of early hyperbaric oxygen therapy with different frequencies on the nerve injury and vascular endothelial function in patients with acute cerebral infarction

Abstract

The therapeutic efficacy of multi-frequency hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on neurological function and vascular endothelial function in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI) has not been demonstrated. In the present study, a total of 92 patients with ACI admitted to the emergency department and neurology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical College were divided into a low-frequency and a high-frequency group, and HBOT was given once and twice a day, respectively, on the basis of routine drug treatment. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, clinical outcomes, neurological function and vascular endothelial function before and after treatment were compared between the two groups, and the safety of treatment was evaluated. No deterioration or death was observed in both groups, and the overall effective rate of the high-frequency group was significantly higher than that of the low-frequency group (95.65% vs. 84.78%); NIHSS score and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and brain-specific protein (S100-β) levels were significantly lower in the high-frequency group than those in the low-frequency group after one-month treatment; endothelin-1 (ET-1) level obviously decreased, whereas the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nitric oxide (NO) were significantly increased after 1 month of treatment in the high-frequency group, indicating better vascular endothelial function compared with that in the low-frequency group; the results of safety assessment showed that no serious adverse reactions occurred in both high-frequency and low-frequency groups. Therefore, early HBOT at a frequency of twice a day can not only effectively improve neurological function, but also have a restorative effect on vascular endothelial function in ACI, which is a safe and effective therapy.