THE CONTRIBUTION OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY TO THE HEALING OF INFECTED BURN WOUNDS

Background: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is defined as the inhalation of pure oxygen (100%), by a patient placed in a steel or polymer chamber, at supra-atmospheric pressures going from 1.5 to 3 ATA. Many studies have reported that hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes wound healing in addition to its effectiveness on polymorphic microbial flora andextensive microvascular obstruction causing necrosis within the infection.

Methods: Our work is a retrospective studyover 14 years concerning 36 patients collected in the Burns Unit of the Mohamed V military hospital in Rabat. It included patients that were admitted in our burn unit and that presented infected burns or were infected during their hospitalization. We excluded all patients with contraindications to this treatment.

Results: The average age of the patients was 28 years, the sex ratio was 1.3. Burns were secondary to the flame in 50% of cases. More than 20% of the body surface was affected in 86,2% of the patients. The face was the most affected (52%), followed by the upper limb (20%). Our patients have received an average of 12 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy after an assessment combining an electrocardiography, an oro-facial and pulmonary examination in order to avoid secondary complications.

Conclusion: This study highlights the efficiency of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of acutely infected burns in order to achieve wound healing or to prepare the site for possible surgical coverage. However, its application is limited by certain factors.