A descriptive retrospective study on the various uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy

BACKGROUND: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can be used as a therapeutic modality for conditions other than decompression diseases, including wound healing in gangrene, compromised grafts and flaps, crush injuries, thermal burns, and intracranial abscesses. Beginning more recently, HBOT has also been used as an alternative treatment strategy for respiratory conditions in patients with COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the use of HBOT in the healing processes of the above-listed conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For this descriptive retrospective study, the authors used the data of patients who received HBOT at Manado Regional Hospital in Indonesia from January 2017 to December 2020. Patients were identified retrospectively according to their ICD-10 codes. RESULTS: Of the 128 patients who had received HBOT, 60 had received it for decompression sickness (46.87%), 29 for thermal burns (22.65%), 19 for diabetic ulcers (14.84%), six for crush injuries, six for skin grafts, six for pre- or post-amputation (4.68%), and two for gangrene (1.56%). CONCLUSIONS: Used for decompression sickness in 46.87% of cases and for wound healing in 50.13% of cases, HBOT is not only for decompression sickness but can be used as a therapeutic modality for other conditions as well.