Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Utilization in Infectious Disease

Abstract

This review explores the multiple infectious processes in which the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society recommends hyperbaric oxygen as an adjunct to standard treatment to determine the benefit of including hyperbaric oxygen in standard treatment protocols. While the utilization of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) has been shown to improve outcomes, there is limited research comparing it to other therapies. There are numerous case reports and retrospective analyses of the use of HBO as adjunctive treatment, but randomized control trials are glaringly absent from recent literature. The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society recommends the utilization of HBO as an adjunct to standard treatment for necrotizing fasciitis, clostridial myonecrosis, chronic refractory osteomyelitis, malignant otitis externa, intracranial abscesses, and diabetic foot ulcers. After review of recent literature, the utilization of HBO has been shown to improve patient outcomes in the previously mentioned infectious processes when added to standard antimicrobial and surgical treatment.