Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on patients with adhesive intestinal obstruction associated with abdominal surgery who have failed to respond to more than 7 days of conservative treatment.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on patients with adhesive intestinal obstruction who have failed to respond to more than 7 days of conservative treatment.


METHODS
Six hundred eighty-five patients, who were admitted a total of 879 times for adhesive intestinal obstruction, were divided into groups according to the treatment and interval between the first day of the therapy and clinical symptoms of obstruction; tube decompression therapy within 7 days after appearance of clinical symptoms (Group I: n = 321), clinical symptoms that have persisted for less than 7 days before the start of HBO therapy (Group II: n = 498), and for more than 7 days (Group III: n = 60).


RESULTS
The overall resolution and mortality rates in the cases of adhesive intestinal obstruction were 79.8% and 2.2% in Group I, 85.9% and 1.4% in Group II, and 81.7% and 1.6% in Group III, respectively. Group II had significantly better resolution rates than Group I (odds ratio 1.6, p < 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
HBO therapy may be useful in management of adhesive intestinal obstruction associated with abdominal surgery, even in patients who fail to respond to other conservative treatments. HBO therapy may be a preferred option for treatment of patients for whom surgery should be avoided.
Ambiru
Satoshi
S
Surgical Center, Chiba University Hospital, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8677, Japan. ambiru-s@umin.ac.jp
Furuyama
Nobuaki
N
Kimura
Fumio
F
Shimizu
Hiroaki
H
Yoshidome
Hiroyuki
H
Miyazaki
Masaru
M
Ochiai
Takenori
T
D034841:Abdominal Cavity / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D017211:Treatment Failure; D055815:Young Adult