A recent article in the Washington Post examines the possibility that hyperbaric treatment — in which patients breath pure oxygen in a pressurized room or tube— could be used to treat mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) — including concussions.
Hyperbaric chambers are used to treat decompression sickness that can be caused by scuba diving, as well as serious infections, wounds, burns, carbon monoxide poisoning and more. In a hyperbaric chamber, the air pressure is three times higher than normal air pressure, which helps a person’s lungs collect more oxygen. Injured tissues require more oxygen than normal tissues, therefore with more oxygen in your blood from hyperbaric treatment, your body can fight bacteria and release stem cells or growth factors — all of which help a person heal.
Researchers are now working to determine whether hyperbaric treatment can help treat mTBIs like concussions. Researchers examining this possibility note that patients with mTBIs are not getting enough oxygen to their brain and hyperbaric treatment may be able to change that. The brain requires “large amounts of energy under normal circumstances, and even more to heal when injured.” Blood vessels in the brain that are damaged by an mTBI may not be able to bring enough oxygen to the brain. Because injured brain cells don’t die, but can exist within the brain in a “hobbled” state, researchers in favor of hyperbaric treatment are conducting research to see if hyperbaric treatment can repair those damaged brain cells and make them fully functional again.
While other scientists question whether hyperbaric treatment is beneficial in treating mTBIs, there are plenty of other researchers willing to delve further into the topic and see whether it is a viable option for patients.
For more information, read the entire article online.
