Outcomes after pancreaticoduodenectomy with or without preoperative hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂) therapy is an alternative method against the deleterious effects of ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury and its inflammatory response. This study assessed the effect of preoperative HBO₂ on patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Patients were randomized via a computer-generated algorithm. Patients in the HBO₂ cohort received two sessions of HBO₂ the evening before and the morning of surgery. Measurements of inflammatory mediators and self-assessed pain scales were determined pre-and postoperatively. In addition, perioperative variables and long-term survival were collected and analyzed. Data are presented as median (mean ± SD).

33 patients were included; 17 received preoperative HBO₂, and 16 did not. There were no intraoperative or postoperative statistical differences between patients with or without preoperative HBO₂. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), IL-6, and IL-10 increased slightly before returning to normal, while TGF-alpha decreased before increasing. However, there were no differences with or without HBO₂. At postoperative day 30, the pain level measured with VAS score (Visual Analog Score) was lower after HBO₂ (1 ± 1.3 vs. 3 ± 3.0, p=0.05). Eleven (76%) patients in the HBO₂ cohort and 12 (75%) patients in the non- HBO₂ had malignant pathology. The percentage of positive lymph nodes in the HBO₂ was 7% compared to 14% in the non-HBO₂ (p<0.001). Overall survival was inferior after HBO₂ compared to the non- HBO₂ (p=0.03).

Preoperative HBO₂ did not affect perioperative outcomes or significantly change the inflammatory mediators for patients undergoing robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy. Long-term survival was inferior after preoperative HBO₂. Further randomized controlled studies are required to assess the full impact of this treatment on patients' prognosis.