Diving Hyperb Med
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Editorial Comment
Poorly designed research does not help clarify the role of hyperbaric oxygen in the treatment of chronic diabetic foot ulcers.
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are one of the most common indications for hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT). The role of HBOT in DFUs is often debated. Recent evidence based guidelines, while recommending its use, urge further studies to identify the patient subgroups most likely to benefit from HBOT. ⋯ As it is possible to identify wounds that have no potential to heal despite HBOT, all studies should incorporate transcutaneous oxygen measurements in their baseline evaluation. As the wounds in this study tended to be small (6.1cm² and 5.8cm² on average) and had persisted for (on average) one year despite state-of-the-art previous wound care, it is likely that at least some of these would not meet the predictive minimal criteria for healing potential with HBOT. The findings of this study do indeed show that the indiscriminate treatment of all diabetic wounds with HBOT is probably not (cost-) effective; however, the study conclusion that "HBO has no benefit in the treatment of chronic diabetic foot wounds" is erroneous.
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Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is common in Turkey. Our department is the main provider of emergency hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in Ankara and neighboring cities. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of CO-poisoned patients who were referred by phone to our department for emergency HBOT. ⋯ We found that the duration from admission to an emergency department to HBOT consultation affected our decision-making.