Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development

The limited inter-disciplinary recognition of hyperbaric medicine and the physicians’ unfamiliarity has lead to under utilization of HBOT as adjunct therapy in defined conditions.

To explore the trends in hyperbaric oxygen therapy in relation to demographic variables, applications and indications so as to form a baseline framework for further specific research studies.

A quantitative retrospective study done in 530 subjects who underwent HBOT from 2015 to 2018 in a tertiary care hospital, Kochi. Data was collected from patients’ electronic medical record using a self developed observation record. Total enumerative sampling was used.

Nearly half (48.9%) of the subjects who underwent HBOT were elderly i.e. in the age group 57–70 years. Majority were males (64.9%). 88.9% were residents of Kerala and 6.2% were from abroad. 48.7% of the subjects received 6–10 cycles of therapy. Only 13% of the subjects received more than 10 cycles. Majority 302 (57.0%) of the sample underwent HBOT for acute indications. Among the 14 universally accepted acute conditions, post anoxic encephalopathy was found to be the main indication (49.7%). Malignancy related injury was the major condition (46.0%) found among the subjects with post anoxic encephalopathy to seek HBOT, and trauma being the least (7.3%). Around one third of the patients 203 (38.3%) had chronic indications. Among the four universally accepted chronic indications, diabetic wound was the main (45.3%) followed by radiation tissue damage (29.0%). 9 subjects (1.7%) had both acute and chronic indications for taking HBOT.

This study has shown a wide use of HBOT as an adjunct therapy for a variety of acute and chronic conditions. However more outcome oriented research is required to prove its efficacy in specific conditions.