Treatment of Frostbite With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: A Single Center's Experience of 22 Cases

Frostbite is well documented in the military and countries with extreme temperatures, and it is most likely due to increased exposure to cold temperatures and/or risk-taking behavior. Severity of injury depends on absolute temperature, wind chill, duration of exposure, wet or dry cold, immersion, clothing quality, and substance use. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been described as a treatment option but only in small case series.

The aim of this retrospective study is to describe the usage patterns, side effects, and outcomes of HBOT used as an adjunct to wound care at a single major Canadian university hospital.

A retrospective review of patients with frostbite injury admitted and treated with HBOT between January 2000 and March 2015 was performed. A total of 22 patients were studied. Available data included patient demographics, duration of exposure to cold temperature, severity of injury, time to HBOT, duration of therapy, side effects of therapy, concurrent therapies (dressing, anticoagulation, antibiotics), bone scan results, and consequent level of amputation.

The cohort consisted mostly of men (18, 81.8%) and patient mean age of 40 years (range, 13-70 years). Ten patients (45.5%) were intoxicated at the time of injury, and psychiatric illness was implicated in 9 (40.9%) patients. Of the presented injuries, 17 (77.3%) had frostbite to the upper extremity. Bone scans were performed on 16 (72.7%) patients. In 4 patients, the absence of radiotracer activity correlated with a protective effect on subsequent amputation levels. All patients received anticoagulant therapy. Of the 22 patients, 16 (72.7%) experienced at least 1 side effect of HBOT, including otologic barotrauma, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, oxygen toxicity seizure, and myopic changes. All study patients recovered without permanent sequelae; it is unclear whether HBOT reduced soft-tissue damage or amputation rates.

This is the largest cohort reported in the literature of patients with frostbite injuries treated with HBOT. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may show positive impact on the demarcation level of frostbite and, despite the common side effects, it generally causes no long-term sequelae.