title: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of traumatic brain injury: a meta-analysis.
abstract: Compelling evidence suggests the advantage of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in traumatic brain injury. The present meta-analysis evaluated the outcomes of HBOT in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Prospective studies comparing hyperbaric oxygen therapy vs. control in patients with mild (GCS 13-15) to severe (GCS 3-8) TBI were hand-searched from medical databases using the terms "hyperbaric oxygen therapy, traumatic brain injury, and post-concussion syndrome". Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was the primary outcome, while Glasgow outcome score (GOS), overall mortality, and changes in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) score, constituted the secondary outcomes. The results of eight studies (average age of patients, 23-41 years) reveal a higher post-treatment GCS score in the HBOT group (pooled difference in means = 3.13, 95 % CI 2.34-3.92, P < 0.001), in addition to greater improvement in GOS and lower mortality, as compared to the control group. However, no significant change in the PTSD score was observed. Patients undergoing hyperbaric therapy achieved significant improvement in the GCS and GOS with a lower overall mortality, suggesting its utility as a standard intensive care regimen in traumatic brain injury.
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 295 Xichang Rd, Kunming, Yunnan, 650032, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 295 Xichang Rd, Kunming, Yunnan, 650032, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 295 Xichang Rd, Kunming, Yunnan, 650032, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 295 Xichang Rd, Kunming, Yunnan, 650032, China. hualin_yu@sina.com.
authors.forename: Hua-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000628:therapy*; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Glasgow coma scale; Glasgow outcome score; Oxygen therapy; Post-concussion syndrome; Traumatic brain injury