Cohort study: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy not effective for diabetic foot ulcers and the prevention of amputation

Source: Diabetes Care Area: News A cohort study has found that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) did not improve wound healing or prevent lower extremity amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulceration   The researchers studied 6,259 individuals representing 767,060 person-days of wound care. In propensity score-adjusted models, individuals receiving HBO were less likely to have healing of their foot ulcer (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.73) and more likely to have an amputation (2.37 [1.84-3.04]) than those patients who did not receive HBO.   The authors concluded that the usefulness of HBO in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers requires further investigation using well designed controlled trials and other healing-based end points.
Source: NeLM - News - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news