Effects of hyperbaric oxygen combined with external application of Chinese herbal medicine on fat liquefaction in cesarean section incision of obese pregnant women

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) combined with Chinese herbal medicine on fat liquefaction in cesarean section incision of obese pregnant women and its clinical efficacy. Methods A retrospective analysis was made on 360 obese pregnant women with incision fat liquefaction after cesarean section in Yantaishan Hospital from January 2015 to January 2018. In accordance with different treatment methods, the patients were divided into 2 groups, each consisting of 180 patients. The patients in the control group were treated with rhubarb mirabilite and Chinese herbal medicine on the basis of routine treatment after surgery, while the patients in the observation group received HBO therapy in addition to therapy given to the control group. The length of exudation and wound healing after surgery, the NRS pain scores at different time points after surgery, hospitalization time and rate of patient satisfaction were closely observed in the patients of the 2 groups. Results The length of exudation, the rate of incision healing and the average time of incision healing in the observation group were significantly superior to those in the control group, and statistical significance could be seen when comparisons were made between the 2 groups (P<0.05). On the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th days after surgery, the NRS pain scores at the incision in the patients of the observation group were significantly lower than those in the patients of the control group, also with statistical significance (P<0.01). The patients of the observation group stayed in the hospital for 6 to 11 days, with an average length of stay for (7.26 ± 1.29) days, while the patients of the control group stayed in the hospital for 9 to 23 days, with an average length of stay for (14.11 ± 3.29) days. Statistical significance could be noted when comparisons were made between the 2 groups (P<0.01). The rate of satisfaction for the patients of the observation group was 95.56% (172/180), while that of the control group was 82.78% (149/180), with statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusion HBO combined with external application of traditional Chinese herbal medicine could produce obvious effect on fat liquefaction of cesarean section incision in obese pregnant women, relieve pain after surgery and shorten the length of hospitalization. For this reason, it is worth further clinical extension. Key words: Obese pregnant woman; Cesarean section incision; Fat liquefaction; Hyperbaric oxygen; External application of Chinese herbal Medicine