Optimal dosing as a necessary condition for the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in acute ischemic stroke: A critical review

The effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in clinical and experimental acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has been controversial for many years. However, in the literature, no data was found on the dose/ effect of HBOT in patients with AIS. We analyzed retrospectively the published data of clinical studies performed in different hyperbaric centers (a total of 265 patients). The close of HBOT (D-HBOT) was calculated considering the product intrabarochamber pO(2) (ATA), the duration of a single HBOT exposure (hours), and the number of HBOT treatments. Efficacy of HBOT (Ef(HBOT)) data regarding the number of patients who showed significant clinical improvement of their neurologic status in the course of the treatment HBOT (the percentage of the total number of patients). The level of Ef(HBOT) in each study was compared with a corresponding value of DHBOT. A comparison of the data shows a pronounced tendency for higher values of Ef(HBOT) as the level of the average values of the total DHBOT increases. The coefficient of correlation between these parameters appears to be fairly high (r = 0.92). The maximum possible value of Ef(HBOT) is 100%, which corresponded to the average values of DHBOT at a level of no less than 30 agreed units. The examined data suggest that applying optimal total DHBOT may provide a maximum possible Ef(HBOT) in treating patients with AIS. [Neurol Res 2003; 25: 95-98].