Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for post concussion symptoms: issues may affect the results

Qin Hu; Anatol Manaenko; Zhenni Guo; Lei Huang; Jiping Tang; John H Zhang

doi:10.1186/s13618-015-0033-3

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for post concussion symptoms: issues may affect the results

Med Gas Res. 2015 Aug 25:5:10. doi: 10.1186/s13618-015-0033-3. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Qin Hu¹, Anatol Manaenko¹, Zhenni Guo¹, Lei Huang¹, Jiping Tang¹, John H Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, 11041 Campus Street, Risley Hall, Room 219, Loma Linda, CA USA.
² Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, 11041 Campus Street, Risley Hall, Room 219, Loma Linda, CA USA ; Department of Neurosurgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, 11041 Campus Street, Risley Hall, Room 219, Loma Linda, CA USA.

Abstract

Post concussion syndrome (PCS) is a set of symptoms succeeding in 25 % of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been demonstrated as an effective method for treating acute and severe TBI, but its efficacy in PCS remains controversial. In this editorial, we reviewed the clinical studies of HBOT in PCS, summarized the limitations of these studies, and discussed the limitations: inappropriate Sham group using room air at 1.2 or 1.3 ATA; delayed HBO administration; subjective assessment methods; time point for outcome assessment and small sample size. We hope that our concerns will be helpful for future clinical studies of HBO therapy in TBI or other neurological disorders.

Keywords: Clinical studies; Hyperbaric oxygen therapy; Post concussion syndrome.