Results of treating patients with cellulitis by hyperbaric oxygen: a case-control study

Cellulitis is an acute bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The characteristic symptoms of the disease are an area of skin that is swollen, warmth, redness, pain, unknown borderline, tends to expand, and can lead to tissue necrosis. Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) is a non-drug treatment, which has the effect of relieving pain, reducing edema, and accelerating the wound healing process for patients with cellulitis. This study aims to evaluate the results of treating patients with cellulitis by HBO.

A case-control study was conducted. 89 patients were diagnosed with cellulitis and treated at VINIMAM from January 2022 to December 2023. The study group included 48 patients treated with HBO combined with intravenous antibiotics, wound care. The reference group included 41 patients who were not treated with HBO but were treated with intravenous antibiotics, wound care.

The pain relief level of the study group was better than that of the reference group (VAS score after one day of treatment: 4.34 and 5.78, after 2 days: 2.46 and 4.17, after 3 days: 1.28 and 3.35). The time for edema to subside in the study group was shorter than in the reference group. The circumference of the cellulitis area in the study group shrunk better than in the reference group. The average days of treatment in the study group were less than the reference group (8.33 ± 2.67 days and 13.17 ± 4.78 days).

Hyperbaric Oxygen was a good method to treat cellulitis, helped to reduce pain, was anti-inflammatory, reduced edema, and shortened treatment time.