| Sumario: | Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment in which the ambient oxygen pressure is made greater than the atmospheric pressure. Initially, it was designed to help relieve deep-sea divers who returned to the surface too quickly, resulting in decompression sickness, otherwise known as the bends. It has been investigated as a possible treatment for numerous issues, both on- and offlabel. It is approved for conditions such as, but not limited to, carbon monoxide poisoning, thermal burns, and necrotizing soft tissue infections. It is currently being investigated for use in conditions such as autism, brain injury, migraines, and HIV/AIDs. Essentially, patients lie or sit in a tube and undergo increased compression and decompression in a stepwise fashion for some preset amount of time. The pressure typically runs about 87 psi, and some set-ups can fit up to eight patients once. There are some risks, such as issues with eardrums and sinuses, as well as contraindications with conditions such as blood disorders, COPD, heart issues, and high fevers. This article review series summarizes three studies done on traumatic brain injury patients who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy. While no adverse effects were found in any of them, it is clear that more robust research is needed.
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