Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a technology that involves
oxygen treatment at supra-atmospheric pressures in high concentrations, generating increased levels of physically dissolved
oxygen in blood plasma. This form of transported
oxygen, compared with
oxygen chemically bound to
hemoglobin, is able to enter tissues with minimal or almost no blood flow. Experimental studies have suggested that hyperoxemia provided by hyperbaric
oxygen may be beneficial in the treatment of
reperfusion injury. Organs procured from
brain-dead hyperbaric
oxygen-treated donors may have less cellular injury from
ischemia, reperfusion, and
no-reflow phenomenon, thus yielding organs in an optimized state for
transplantation. This current report consists of a gratifying experience about hyperbaric
oxygen treatment playing a possible role on preservation of donor organs in vivo. In the siblings reported here, improved organ function prior to
transplantation and the successful organ functioning after
transplantation suggests the possible beneficial effect of hyperbaric
oxygen treatment on the ischemic insult generated from
brain death and repetitive cardiac arrests. Hyperbaric
oxygen seems to be a promising candidate as a bridge to
transplantation, keeping the donated organs viable until the harvesting procedure can take place for potential
brain dead donors. This experience may lead to further investigations on hyperbaric
oxygen's role in donor organ preservation.