Results of acute cerebral infarction treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, 2020-2022

Cerebral stroke is the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease, cancer and the leading cause of disability for patients. Hyperbaric oxygen is a non-drug treatment that has the potential to improve brain function for patients with ischaemic stroke. The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of treatment of acute cerebral infarction with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

This was a case-control study. One hundred ninety-five patients diagnosed with cerebral infarction, with signs of onset within 24 hours, were treated at the Centre for Underwater Medicine and Hyperbaric Oxygen of Vietnam National Institute of Maritime Medicine during the period from January 2020 to December 2022. Study group included 100 patients with acute cerebral infarction treated with a combination of HBOT and medication and reference group included 95 patients treated by medication only (antiplatelets drugs, statins, control of associated risks factors) RESULTS: After 7 days of treatment with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO), symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, sensory disturbances, and Glasgow score of the study group improved better than that of the reference group (p < 0.01). Movement recovery in the study group was better than the reference group: the percentage of patients with mild and moderate paralysis in the study group increased higher than that of the reference group (86.0% and 68.4%), the degree of complete paralysis of the study group decreased more than that of the reference group (14.0% and 31.6%). The degree of independence in daily activities in the study group was better than the reference group. In the study group, the percentage of patients with complete independence in daily life increased from 27.0% to 84.0%. In the reference group, the rate of patients who were independent in their daily activities increased from 37.9% to 51.6%. The average number of treatment days of the study group was 10.32 ± 2.41 days and it the reference group 14.51 ± 3.24 days.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a non-drug treatment with many good effects in the treatment of cerebral infarction, especially acute cerebral infarction. HBOT reduces and improves functional symptoms, improves mobility, and reduces treatment time for patients.