Defining the Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as an Adjunct to Reconstructive Surgery.

Abstract

The discipline of reconstructive surgery has been slow to accept the role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an adjunct to surgery, despite clinical and experimental data showing potential benefits. Obstacles prevent this acceptance; one of the most potent is surgeon bias. This article attempts to lessen this bias by reviewing the benefits of HBOT in conditions where there is uniform acceptance of its role, such as carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression illness. It demonstrates that these conditions have similar pathophysiologic derangements to conditions commonly encountered by the reconstructive/wound care surgeon, including crush injuries, compartment syndrome, compromised flaps, and thermal burns.

• Authors: Michael James Harl
• Journal: The Surgical clinics of North America (Surg Clin North Am) Vol. 100 Issue 4 Pg. 777-785 (Aug 2020) ISSN: 1558-3171 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 32681876 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Burns (therapy)
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (therapy)
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Compartment Syndromes (therapy)
• Crush Injuries (therapy)
• Decompression Sickness (therapy)
• Humans
• Hyperbaric Oxygenation (methods)
• Plastic Surgery Procedures (methods)
• Surgical Flaps