Retrospective Case Series of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Retrospective Case Series of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

The silent injuries of war are the one’s that you can’t see. Often identified by a number labels TBI, concussions, PTSD, to name few. They present a clear and present danger to veterans returning from combat. In an article appearing in the 28 May 2019 edition of the journal Cell Transplantation, the authors describe a recent case-controlled study of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) reporting a reduction in suicidal ideation. This study is consistent with past studies by the US Department of Defense reporting“significant improvements in post concussive symptoms and secondary outcomes, including PTSD (which most participants had) depression, sleep quality, satisfaction with life, and physical, cognitive and mental health functioning.” 

This case series reports that improvements were detected on parameters within neurocognitive domains, including reductions in suicide-related symptoms. These findings independently confirm that HBOT may be effective in treating specific symptoms of TBI/PTSD that are not currently addressed with existing therapeutic approaches.