Hyperbaric oxygen treatment in a rare complication of intramuscular injection: four cases of Nicolau syndrome.

Intramuscular injections are one of the most common clinical procedures. The objectives of this case series are to analyse the role, timing and efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) in the management of Nicolau syndrome (NS), an extremely rare complication of this common intervention. Clinical, demographic, laboratory and microbiological data extraction were performed through retrospective analysis of the medical records of all patients with NS who were referred for HBOT over a 10-year period with wounds, ischaemia, infection or necrosis at the injection site following drug injection; four patients with NS were included. All injections were made via the intramuscular route; three adult cases followed a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac sodium and one in a child followed penicillin injection. The time between diagnosis/injection and HBOT ranged from five to 33 days. NS can develop despite all preventive measures based on injection technique guidelines. HBOT appeared beneficial to healing of NS when administered with other therapeutic approaches. Due to the missing pieces of the puzzle in pathogenesis, NS is rarely completely reversible; keeping the awareness high for undesirable complications stands out as the most effective approach.

A Retrospective Analysis of Microbiologic Profile of Foot Infections in Patients With Diabetic End-Stage Renal Disease.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with diabetes and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at increased risk of foot ulceration and lower extremity amputation. Although risk factors and microbiologic analysis of diabetic foot infections (DFIs) have been extensively studied, there are limited data available for this characteristic group. METHODS: Clinical, demographic, laboratory, microbiological data, and foot examination information were collected retrospectively regarding 94 patients with ESRD who were referred for DFI between 2006 and 2016 to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. RESULTS: In 6 of 94 patients with ESRD (mean age 60 years; 65 males [69.1%], 29 women [30.8%]; 91 undergoing hemodialysis [96.8%], one peritoneal dialysis [1%], two [2%] recent renal transplants), the lesions were bilateral; therefore, the evaluations were made over 100 DFIs. The most common pathogens isolated in deep wound cultures were Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively, contributing to 27 (21.2%) and 16 (12.5%) of all 127 isolates. When the distribution of the isolates according to different Wagner grades were analyzed, it was found that the proportion of Gramnegative isolates increased statistically significantly with the ascending Wagner grade (P = .004). CONCLUSION: DFIs indicate a serious complication associated with a high risk of amputation, prolonged antibiotic treatment, increased hospital and procedure demands, and the cost of health care, on patients with ESRD. The familiarization of causative pathogens underlying DFIs can aid the clinicians in the choice of appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment. This study emphasizes the need for greater attention to risk factors and the microbiologic profile of DFIs in this characteristic group.

Pulmonary barotrauma during hookah diving: a case report.

When commercial sea harvesters have dive accidents, it is sometimes difficult to obtain an accurate dive history and make a definitive diagnosis. We report a sea harvest diver who dived to collect sea snails (Rapana venosa) by using a hookah dive system. He experienced mediastinal and subcutaneous emphysema due to interruption of breathing airflow. Thoracic computed tomography performed one year prior to the accident revealed paramediastinal subpleural blebs on both lung apices. Emphysema was resolved by administering normobaric oxygen.

The Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen at Different Pressures on Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Status in Rats.

Background: The optimal use of oxygen at greater than atmospheric pressures in any operational or therapeutic application (hyperbaric oxygen, HBO2) requires awareness of the fact that the beneficial effects of oxygen coexist with toxic effects depending on the pressure and duration of exposure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of HBO2 therapy on oxidative stress and antioxidant status in commonly used protocol for acute HBO2 indications, such as carbon monoxide intoxication, central retinal artery occlusion, crush injury, gas gangrene, and to compare it with normobaric oxygen (NBO2) in healthy rats. Materials and Methods: Fifty-six male, young adult Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into seven groups and named as Group I through Group VII. Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) levels in control group were compared to the levels in other groups. Results: The increases in MDA levels and the decrease in SOD activities were statistically significant in HBO2 groups at the end of the first 24 h when compared to the control group, and the significant decrease in erythrocyte GSH level was only at 2.4 atmospheres absolute. Conclusions: The present study showed that pressure and frequency of exposure are important factors to consider when investigating HBO2-induced oxidative stress and antioxidant response.

Could Hyperbaric Oxygen Be a Solution in the Treatment of Spinal Infections?

Background and Objective: Pyogenic spinal infections are rare and potentially devastating, requiring prompt recognition and management. Parallel to the ever-increasing number of invasive spinal procedures, its incidence is on a steady rise, particularly in an expanding elderly population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy in the treatment of this heterogeneous group of disorders. Materials and Methods: Nineteen patients who were referred to our center for HBO2 with a clinical diagnosis of spinal infections (vertebral osteomyelitis, pyogenic spondylitis, spondylodiscitis, surgical site infection following spine surgery, epidural abscess) were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Infection resolution was adequately achieved in 12 of 13 patients (92.3%) on magnetic resonance imaging at the end of HBO2 treatment or during the first month of follow-up. The mean follow-up period was 11 months (range 1 month to 3 years). Conclusions: This study suggests that HBO2 therapy is efficacious in patients with pyogenic spinal infections complicated by primary therapy failure or by medical comorbidities that may impede the eradication of microbial infection and delay wound healing. HBO2 therapy may be useful for reducing long hospital stays, repeated surgeries, and morbidities.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on pilonidal disease surgery.

Surgical excision and lay-open is a well-known technique for the treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease, which impairs a patient's quality of life considerably since wound healing takes a substantial amount of time. It is known that with this method total healing period is longer, but recurrence rate of the disease is lower. The beneficial effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy on wound healing have been well established since it was first put into in clinical use. The purpose of this prospective randomized clinical trial was to investigate the effects of HBO2 therapy on wound healing in the patients who had sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease and surgical treatment. Total epithelialization times of 12 patients (Group 1) who received surgical intervention were compared with those of 10 patients who had surgical intervention and HBO2 therapy (Group 2). In both groups excised tissue volume, excised skin area, body mass index, blood hemoglobin, albumin levels, ages and duration of the complaints were recorded and there was no statistically significant difference in these parameters except albumin levels when compared. The complete epithelialization time was significantly shorter in Group 2 (50 ± 11 vs. 83 ± 18, p⟨0.001). We conclude that HBO2 had beneficial effects on wound healing, in the patients who had sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease and were treated with surgical excision applying lay-open technique.

Decompression sickness cases treated with recompression therapy between 1963 and 1998 in Turkey: review of 179 cases.

The purpose of this study was to review the cases diagnosed as decompression sickness (DCS) with recompression therapy treament between 1963 and 1998 in Turkey. The records of 179 cases were analyzed for age, gender, type of DCS, presenting signs and symptoms, time to onset of symptoms, time to recompression therapy, recompression table used, total number of treatments and outcomes. The diving depth on the day of injury ranged between 60 and 215 fsw (18 and 65 msw). The symptoms developed during ascent or within 10 minutes after surfacing in 47% of divers and within the first hour in 87% of the divers. The most frequent symptom was sensory loss in the extremities. The dive before the symptoms was a repetitive dive in 50% of the cases and the diagnosis was Type II DCS in 79% of these divers. Most of the divers (84%) received recompression therapy after a delay of more than 12 hours. Healing rate was 68% with the air recompression tables and 86% with the oxygen tables. Repetitive dives were associated with a higher incidence of Type II DCS than single dives (79% and 66%, respectively). The results using recompression tables with oxygen were more successful than the treatment with air tables.

Factors influencing the outcome of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is an otologic emergency with an incidence of about 5-20 per 100,000 of the population per year. There is no universally accepted standard protocol for the treatment of patients with ISSNHL. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), was first reported to improve the outcome following acute inner ear disorders during the late 1960s by both French and German authors. The increase in perilymph oxygenation produced by HBOT provides logical basis for the use of this treatment modality in ISSNHL. We reviewed the records of 97 cases that received HBOT for SSNHL to identify the factors that may affect the treatment outcomes. The effects of age, gender, affected ear, status of the contralateral ear, symptoms associated with hearing loss, presence of a cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, history of diabetes mellitus, seasonal factor, smoking, degree of hearing loss, audiogram type, medical treatments provided prior to HBOT, onset time, and number of HBOT sessions were evaluated. The mean hearing gain in all cases after the HBOT was 29.5 dB. The gains were statistically significant in the following cases: early onset of HBOT (p = 0.016), higher number of HBOT sessions (p < 0.01), steroid usage (p = 0.009), low frequency-ascending and total audiogram configuration (p < 0.01) and profound hearing loss (p = 0.011). The success rate was significantly lower in cases with high frequency-descending audiogram configuration (p < 0.001). The most important factor affected the prognosis favorably was found as steroid therapy. This retrospective study and our clinical experience suggest that HBOT has beneficial effects when administered in the early phase of the disease together with steroids. HBOT is a safe practice when used properly by an experienced hyperbaric team. In the treatment of ISSNHL, 20 sessions of HBOT at 2.5 ATA can be tolerated well besides some minor side effects. HBOT should be considered for the cases especially with total or profound hearing loss.

Are pulmonary bleb and bullae a contraindication for hyperbaric oxygen treatment?

BACKGROUND: Air cysts or blebs in the lungs may predispose pulmonary barotrauma (PBT) by causing air trapping when there is a change in environmental pressure. The changes in the environmental pressure are also seen during hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT). AIM: The aim of this study was to determine how patients were evaluated for pulmonary blebs or bullae, and PBT prevalence in different HBOT centers. METHODS: HBOT centers were asked to participate in this study and a questionnaire was send via e-mail. A total of 98 centers responded to our questionnaire. RESULTS: Sixty-five HBOT centers (66.3%) reported that they applied HBOT to the patients with air cysts in their lungs. X-ray was the most widely used screening method for patients with a history of a lung disease. The prevalence of PBT in theses centers was calculated as 0.00045%. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey demonstrated that (1) a significant portion of the HBO centers accept patients with pulmonary bleb or bullae, (2) although insufficient, X-ray is the mostly used screening tool for patients with a history of pulmonary disease and (3) the prevalence of pulmonary barotrauma is very low in HBOT.

Fat embolism syndrome after lower extremity replantation associated with tibia fracture: case report.

We report a patient who was diagnosed as fat embolism syndrome after replantation surgery of left amputated foot. This diagnosis was based on the presence of a long bone fracture with an amputation of a major extremity, supported by the signs of pulmonary and cerebral dysfunction and confirmed by the demonstration of arterial hypoxemia in the absence of other disorders.

Negative effect of immediate hyperbaric oxygen therapy in acute acoustic trauma.

OBJECTIVE: The functional evaluation of the effect of the hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) onset time on cochlea by using distortion product otoacoustic emission. STUDY DESIGN: Animal study. METHODS: Twenty-four Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups and their right ears were directly exposed to a 110-dB sound pressure level (1-12 kHz) white noise for 25 minutes. The first group was considered the control group. HBOT was started at 1 hour postexposure for the second group, at 2 hours postexposure for the third group, at 6 hours postexposure for the fourth group, at 24 hours postexposure for the fifth group, and at 48 hours postexposure for the sixth group. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were recorded before the noise exposure; immediately after the noise exposure; and on the 3rd, 7th, and 10th day of postexposure. RESULTS: SNRs at 6 to 8 kHz were significantly decreased after the acoustic trauma. The evaluation on the third day of postexposure showed that recovery begun in all groups except the group in which the HBOT was started at 1 hour postexposure. SNRs in the control group and HBOT groups were back to the preexposure levels at 10 days postexposure, except the 1- and 2-hour postexposure groups. However, in the group in which the HBOT was started at 1 hour postexposure, distortion product otoacoustic emissions were lost except at 4 kHz. The recovery of the SNRs in hyperbaric oxygen administration at 2 hours postexposure almost completed on the 10th day after noise exposure. CONCLUSION: Immediate HBOT in acoustic trauma treatment is not necessary; on the contrary, it has an adverse effect.

Comparison of pulmonary autopsy findings of the rats drowned at surface and 50 ft depth.

INTRODUCTION: When a body is recovered from the water after a fatal SCUBA diving accident, it is useful to know if the diver was under pressure or not when he/she took his/her last breath, in order to determine the cause and manner of the death. If the victim was under pressure, the air remained in the lungs of the diver will be equal to the environmental pressure. If the body comes to the surface, the air in the lung will expand according to the Boyle's Gas Law and give mechanical damage to the surrounding tissues, due to decreases in environmental pressure. We designed an experimental study to see the difference in pulmonary autopsy findings of the rats that drowned under normobaric and hyperbaric conditions. METHOD: Forty five male, 250-300 g, Sprague Downey adult rats were divided into three groups. Two groups of rats were drowned under normobaric conditions (Groups DS Group DSS) and the third group at 50 ft pressure (Group DD). The pulmonary autopsy findings of the groups were compared. In the light microscopy, the number of the microscopic fields (x10) containing at least one emphysematous area with longitudinal dimension greater than 300 micro m were compared among the groups. RESULTS: The gross examination revealed a prominent swelling of the lungs in all rats in the Group DD, in comparison to that of the Groups DS and DSS. The number of the microscopic fields, which included at least one emphysematous area with longitudinal dimension greater than 300 micro m out of 150 fields from each of the groups DS, DSS and DD, were 88, 101 and 115 respectively. The difference between the group DS and DD was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: We conclude that in investigating the fatal diving accidents, pulmonary autopsy findings give valuable information whether the death occurred at the surface or at the depth.